Plea Of A Fading Soul
by Salvatore Shan NW
Summary: Kagome's going insane. First she started hearing voices... and then she saw him. The Shadow Man. The group thinks she's losing it, and Inuyasha's heart is breaking. Until he sees The Shadow Man himself...
1. Chapter 1

**Plea Of A Fading Soul**

Arg! Some new Inuyasha fanfics, finally! But if they're scuffed up, then I'm really sorry. My excuse is that my computer's been moved into my brother's room and now I'm forced to use a gimpy wireless keyboard with keys that don't even work!

Uploading will be a bit random from here on out because I have my GCSE mocks now and I'll be busy revising. If there are any spelling mistakes on here then – BLAME THE KEYBOARD!

This story opens up with a flash-forward as opposed to a flashback. Later in the story it'll build up to that beginning bit, so hold out for it.

So here it is. A new Inuyasha fanfic, with a weird title.

* * *

**Chapter One**  
He's There

_The Shadow Man…_  
Kagome had first seen him that day in the village – when everything had seemed to be ordinary and as right as rain.

Inuyasha bowed his head and frowned in thought, his arms folded. Now that he actually had time to think he wondered where Kagome could get the help she craved. Clearly he wasn't helping her enough.

It had been so long… Kagome was at the point of no return. Either this Shadow Man guy left her alone or she was going to be driven _mad_.

Inuyasha felt a chill run down his spine, turning the blood in his veins to ice water. He turned. Without even seeing him, Inuyasha knew someone was standing within the shelter of the trees – hiding. _Could it be…?_  
Straightening up, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"I've been expecting you, hanyou…" 

Inuyasha shrugged off the stranger's purring tone. He unfolded his arms and clenched his fists.  
"I know who you are," Inuyasha warned, his voice ringing with anger. The silhouette within the mass of trees encircling Inuyasha, laughed. Chuckling pitifully – a predatory sound. Almost sympathising. It was as if he had just won a fight… or knew he was going to win one…

Inuyasha felt his control over the situation slipping already. "I mean it!" he cried, backing away uncertainly. He had no idea why he felt so affronted by the person before him, but the sound of his voice made Inuyasha want to turn on his heel and run.

The figure began making his way forward, approaching Inuyasha and entering the clearing – setting a challenge.  
Inuyasha felt a tremor run up his leg. A muscle jumped – an instinct he was born with. _Quit now! Run away! Danger, danger, DANGER!_

Inuyasha felt the world slipping from him. _I'm not afraid… I'm not afraid…_ He kept trying to tell himself. But his defences were buckling and his expression was one of pure fear. His pupils were tiny, his skin was pale and his lips were trembling in anticipation._ Say something…_

Inuyasha clawed up his fingers and snarled, his last shot at redemption. He had to be brave… he had to be– "I'm not afraid of you!"  
The shadowy figure froze for an instant and then softly shook his head, exasperated. And Inuyasha saw his face, then. But he refused to believe it… refused to _see_… _It – It's not possible…_  
"Poor, _poor _hanyou. How can you not fear when I am Fear itself…?"

* * *

Kagome was on the steps of a shrine, her head resting lightly on Sango's shoulder as she slept. But even in her dreams – even then – the Shadow Man could still reach her.  
Her brows were furrowed, arcing downwards in fear or pain. The sweat and tears had dried on her face and all that remained was the corpse-like white of her skin and the trembling of her lips.

Sango, however, blinked – apparently awake. The sun had risen, the sky was a glorious blue and the moon was fading into a backdrop of rose-coloured clouds. The ghost of the night was slowly receding. Sango smiled.

Birds whistled in the surrounding trees, Shippo's light breathing was soft and peaceful, and the sound of the breeze flitting past lulled her into a false sense of security.  
Only Kagome noticed the darkness under its 'beautiful morning' façade.

Her eyes flickered open, pupils wide at the prospect of a storm-free morning. No shadows. No darkness. Everything's going to be _fine_! And then there it was. The foreboding feeling that crept into her gut every time she awoke. _Shadows… shadows everywhere. Where is he?_

She sat bolt upright – the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Sango turned to face her, a grin splitting her face in two. "Nice morning, isn't it, Kagome-ch–?" she didn't finish. Kagome looked like a frightened animal that was slowly backing its way into a corner.

_There he is… _Her eyes were fixed on an object in the distance, staring at some sort of well that was still in use.  
Her face was skeletal and pale, and her body throbbed with every breath, every tremble.

"Kagome?"  
Sango put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, offering support. But her friend flinched and jumped backwards. "Don't touch me!" Kagome snapped, looking alarmed, angry and startled. She stood up, and was beginning to run away when strong hands grabbed her lower arms, reaching from behind – wrapping around her.

One name came to mind – only one person who was capable of emerging out of thin air. _Shadow Man!_  
"Let me _go_!" Kagome screamed, trying to pull away whilst kicking out with her legs. _I can't do anything… The Shadow Man has no weaknesses… Sango! Sango, can't you see him? It's the Shadow Man! Help me, Sango, help me–!_

"Oh no you don't!" snapped a familiar, scolding voice. _No… it's just a trick. Don't listen to him, Kagome, it's the Shadow Man – it's his trickery! Keep trying to escape! _But Kagome was slowly going limp like a puppet without strings.

Her breathing was reduced to gasps and pants. The pressure on her arms didn't loosen, and neither did she expect it to. "Inuyasha," Kagome sighed, relieved that her voice was steady.

The grip Inuyasha held on her slackened slightly in uncertainty. Kagome ignored him. Instead, she looked back up at the well. _H-He's still there…_  
"Can't you see him?" she said finally, her voice timid – pleading and squeaky, afraid. _Oh God, I don't want to be insane… but they must be able to see him, they _must_ be able to…_

Inuyasha had been looking down at her, but now he turned his gaze on the well. He felt the nausea hit him hard, as it always did, and he felt the churning in his stomach. His eyes stung and his lips trembled as he replied, "There's no one there, Kagome."

_But I wish there were, _his mind finished. _Because then I'd know you weren't insane…  
_Kagome seemed to cave in on herself, defeated. She looked away. Sango had been watching with anxiety and worry plastered across her face. No, she hadn't been shocked by Kagome's outburst – she knew that her friend had become… _unstable_. Which had made the search for the jewel shards ever more challenging. Could they _really_ trust her judgement any more?

She still cared about Kagome, despite her sudden actions and harsh words. And it was why she was here, watching with pained sympathy.

A tear traced its way down Kagome's cheek as Inuyasha physically turned her so they were facing each other. Kagome looked up guiltily, their faces inches apart. She could practically _feel_ the tension reverberating off of him in waves. She wanted to grab his hands, say some comforting words… but she wasn't ready to.

_Not until he sees him. Not until he knows I'm right, that the Shadow Man really is there…_  
Inuyasha's amber eyes were now the colour of spun gold – they always turned semi-yellow when he was upset. When he spoke, his voice was thick and concerned.

"You've gotta stop doing this, Kagome," he said softly. "You say that you keep seeing people, but–"  
"No," Kagome cut in.  
Inuyasha, startled, opened his mouth. Kagome shook her head.

"Just the one. You said 'people', but I only see _him_,"  
Inuyasha's insides knotted up. "Who?" he asked softly. He already knew the answer.

Kagome averted her eyes, not looking at him. Instead she found herself staring at the shadowy figure lounging carelessly by the well. He was smiling – his eyes laughing at her. _They'll never believe you, Higurashi…_

Kagome gulped, feeling warmth spilling out of her eyes. She couldn't get around the blockage in her throat, and it made her want to gag – just staring at that mocking expression… knowing that she was going _mad_, that no one else could see him and nobody could stop him…

"I – I don't know who he is…" she spoke, her voice rising as the emotion overwhelmed her. "I don't know how he got here, or what he wants – but all he does is FOLLOW ME! And I want it to STOP, okay!" she stopped talking to her friends and turned on the dark apparition in the distance.

"Do you hear me! STOP IT! Leave me _alone_!" she screamed. Inuyasha grabbed her back again, roughly. He was angry now, she could tell.  
"_You_ stop it, Kagome! There is _nobody_ there! All you're doing is hurting yourself!" he cried, shaking her furiously.

Kagome's head lolled back and forth dangerously, but Inuyasha didn't stop. "What is _with_ you!" he shouted, his cheeks pink with fury, "Why are you doing this? To get attention?"

"Inuyasha, _stop_! You're hurting her!" Sango protested. Miroku, who had been asleep a ways off, was slowly blinking the sleep from his eyes. He was sitting up, confused. "Houshi! Houshi, make him stop!" Sango called. "He's yelling at her again!"

"I-Inuyasha?" Miroku began, but he saw how Inuyasha was treating Kagome. He stood up and rushed over, grabbing his staff hastily.  
"Give me a _name_, Kagome – a name! Who is this guy you think you see? Who is he, huh?" Inuyasha roared.

He felt as if he were being shredded into pieces with every word. He hated treating her like this, but he wasn't getting a reaction. Why didn't she just _sit_ him, for crying out loud?

"S-S-S-S…" Kagome was stammering. The world was a blur of colour as she was shaken to and fro. "Sh-Sh-Sh…"  
Inuyasha leant in closely, his eyes narrowing to slits. "_Tell me_!"  
"Shadow Man!" Kagome cried – backing out of his grasp – tears flowing freely out of her eyes. "I call him the _Shadow Man_! I don't know who he is, I don't know his name, but he's _here_ and look what he's _doing_ to us…"

Inuyasha took a furious step forward, clenching his fists, when Miroku appeared behind him. His own face was stormy. "That's enough, Inuyasha," he said, calmly, glaring at the half-demon.

Kagome dropped to the floor, bowed her head and sobbed. Sango put her arms around her friend.  
"I'm so afraid, Sango… so afraid…" Kagome wept into her shoulder. Each tear was a dagger in Inuyasha's side. He buckled, and then began walking away, his head bowed.

He shook his head – suddenly tired. "Go back to sleep, Kagome. Just go back to sleep…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Plea Of A Fading Soul**

I'm suffering from writer's block for this chapter. Hope it goes all right.

**Chapter Two**  
Cleansing The Fear

"It's been two days…" Sango reminisced, looking up at the full moon in the sky. The night was dark, foreboding and murky. Storm clouds were rolling in from the west – revealing an unpromising evening ahead.  
Sango sighed, and looked down at the river fish that were cooking slowly beside the fire, upright on sticks. The hunger inside her was nothing compared to the worry she felt.

Kagome had been fine for two days. Since Inuyasha had shaken some sense into her, she'd appeared to have gotten better. She hadn't seen this 'Shadow Man' person of hers for a while. Not since that morning, at least.

Kagome raised her head in polite curiosity. "Two days since what, Sango?" she asked.  
Inuyasha and Miroku, from their places beside the fire, shot warning glances at Sango. The fire separating the males from Sango and Kagome only heightened the expression on the boys' faces. They looked… very ferocious.  
Sango gaped for a moment, and then shut her mouth. She smiled innocently at Kagome and then looked down into her lap, pushing a few strands of hair back behind her ear.

"N-Nothing, Kagome-chan," Kagome narrowed her eyes. It was obviously something about her – the others were intent on keeping things from her now. She felt secluded in her own world, outcast in theirs. Wringing one of her wrists in boredom, she looked away from the campfire. Shippo was poking the alighted logs beneath the flames with a stick, giggling.  
"Not long now! I can't wait!" he chirped, licking his lips as he watched the fish cook. Inuyasha sniffed in reply and his eyes wandered over to where Kagome sat.

She seemed her normal self, if not a little withdrawn. He looked bitterly back into the fire, watching the flames lap at the air. He frowned. Miroku saw his expression. He too picked up a stick and poked at the fire, but, unlike Shippo's childish curiosity, he was turning things over in his mind. Finally, he itched the back of his neck and glanced at Inuyasha briefly.

He nudged the silver-haired hanyou on his left, then out of the side of his mouth, he whispered: "Cheer her up," Inuyasha kept looking into the fire without acknowledging the monk. His eyes were dark and Shippo could sense that Inuyasha was upset. The Kitsune turned and blinked up at the half-demon.  
"Inuyasha, are you okay?" he said, jabbing Inuyasha timidly. Kagome looked over, her expression blank. Inuyasha waved a hand, absently, in reply and then abruptly stood up. "I'm going for a bath."

Shippo opened his mouth, and then turned to look at Sango. He circuited the fire and crawled into her lap. "What did I say?" he asked quietly. Sango shook her head as if humouring him.  
Inuyasha stormed off, stomping past Kagome angrily.  
Kagome looked up at him and then, without hesitation, stood up too. "I'll come," she said softly, before chasing after him.

Miroku raised his eyebrows at Sango over the fire, yet said nothing. Kirara mewed and pawed the fish hungrily, her tails twitching in anticipation.  
Sango sighed and patted Shippo on the head. "Oh well. More eats for us," she smiled. Shippo turned to look at the fish and giggled in agreement, rubbing his hands together.

Miroku grimaced. "Right," he agreed. But he still looked up at the edge of the clearing, watching where Inuyasha and Kagome had disappeared. The trees around them groaned in the wind, but the fire held out. This part of the forest was the oldest, and everything around was skeletal and dying. Some trees didn't have any leaves, and bore down on the temporary camp with an almost angry glare.

Miroku shifted uncomfortably. He wondered whether Kagome really was getting better, or whether it was just the quiet before the storm.

* * *

Inuyasha stopped, fully aware that Kagome was following him. He didn't care – he wanted her company. As soon as he'd passed her, he'd felt her curiosity. He didn't normally go off to bathe alone. Kagome thought it odd, they all did."Inuyasha? Have you found the hot spring?" Kagome called, catching up to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, panting. Inuyasha nodded once, and then turned to look at her. "Are you getting in first?" he asked in a monotone voice. Kagome shook her head. "No, I don't need to go in. Sango and I bathed this morning while you boys were asleep."  
Inuyasha nodded again, turning to stare at the hot spring ahead. It looked nice, with no leaves floating in it – the perfect oasis. Clean and undisturbed. 

Inuyasha sighed and turned to look at Kagome. "Stay here," he told her, catching one of her wrists. "Look after Tessaiga for me,"  
Kagome smiled limply. "Sure,"  
Inuyasha took his sword, scabbard and all, from his hip and handed it to her. Kagome gripped it close to her chest and grimaced.

"Have a nice bath," she waved him off and went to sit behind a formation of rocks a few feet away.  
Inuyasha watched her go, unmoving. Part of him had wanted her to bathe with him, but the other part snapped back furiously that that was insane.

Grunting, he went over to the waters edge and took off his clothes, looking around first. Not that he thought Kagome would be looking or anything… not that he _hoped_ she would…  
Inuyasha slipped into the water, then gasped. It was hot!

The water went up to his shoulders, submerging most of his hair. He tilted his head back to soak his hair, and then dived under – thankful for the chance to escape. Re-emerging he took a deep breath.

The temperature of the water wouldn't normally affect him, but he could feel his skin tingling. Groaning, he knew he had to get out soon or he'd collapse with the heat. He was already feeling dizzy and light-headed.

He waded to the bank, and then clambered out – feeling shaky. He didn't like not being able to control his body. As he put on his clothes, his hands trembled with the biting cold that struck him as soon as his bare body was opened to the elements.

He gritted his teeth and pulled on his white kimono, not bothering to look around first. He didn't care, by now, if anyone was watching – he needed to lie down. His hair was drenched. It slapped at his shoulders as he turned one arm into his haori and then slapped again when he looked the other way.

When he'd finished dressing, he turned. "Kagome? Kagome, I'm decent, you can come out now!"  
When he got no reply, he raised an eyebrow. He shook out his wet mane of hair and blew upwards at an attempt to dry his fringe.

He made his way over to the large boulder Kagome was sitting behind. "Kagome?" he called, feeling as if he were calling out to a dark room 'is anyone there?'  
He turned around the boulder.  
Kagome wasn't there. Neither was Tessaiga.

Panic overwhelmed Inuyasha. Arguments flew up in his mind for a rational explanation. _Okay at least if she ran off, she still had sense enough to keep Tessaiga with her… _one part of his mind reasoned. The other part screamed, _why the hell _would_ she run off?  
_Confusion was eating its way up inside of Inuyasha. He frowned.  
"Kagome!"

No answer. "I don't like this…" he said under his breath, looking around. He knew, deep down inside, that Kagome was going to be in a state when he found her. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. _Maybe she's seen him again, _Inuyasha thought. _That shadow-guy she's afraid of…_ He filtered the air for her scent, and then followed it – slightly afraid. _Kagome, you idiot, how can you do this? Why now? Don't you realise people worry about you?_ He stopped suddenly, upon hearing a noise. Crying.

Kagome's trail had led him deeper into the woods, a route that didn't lead back to camp. Inuyasha frowned in concentration. It was Kagome's voice. He'd never heard her cry like that before. It was like she was moaning – screaming. Someone was hurting her…  
"KAGOME!"

Inuyasha ran in the direction of the sobs, trying to get to her. _If somebody's hurt her, if somebody is hurting her, they're gonna pay… _He stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing. There, her face pressed into a tree trunk, was Kagome – sobbing her heart out. She looked as if she were gripping onto something, her hands grasping something Inuyasha couldn't see.  
They were hovering by the tree, seemingly touching something real, yet invisible.

She started shaking whatever she was holding. "Wake up!" she sobbed. "Please, _please_, wake up!"  
"Kagome?" Inuyasha stepped forward. She didn't turn to look at him. She buried her face deeper into the nook in the tree trunk, whining. She was getting scratches all over her face, cuts on her cheeks. "Please, Inuyasha, please wake up…" she choked out, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Inuyasha froze. He felt as if he were in a dream, that this couldn't possibly be real. _I'm hallucinating… That water, it did something to me…_ But it _was_ real. Either he was insane, or Kagome was.  
"Please…" she whispered, her voice distorted with emotion. "Please, wake up…"  
Inuyasha was behind her now. He didn't know what to do. He laid a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back slightly.

"_No_! No, leave me alone!" Kagome screamed in refusal, not looking at him.  
"Kagome, it's all right! It's me, I'm here," Inuyasha said softly, turning her gently so she would look at him.  
Kagome shook her head fervently, tears streaming down her face.

"No… No, you took him _away from me_!" she screamed, pounding her hands against his chest angrily. "You _stole_ him away from me!" She looked up into his eyes then, her face so full of fury and grief that Inuyasha stepped backwards in fear.

"Kagome…"  
"You stole away the only person I've ever loved! I'm not afraid of you! There's _nothing_ you can possibly do now that can–"  
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hands on impulse. "_Look at me_!" he screamed. "Who am I, Kagome? Look at me and tell me who I am!"

Kagome tried to pull away. She was hissing at him now, distraught. "Let _go_ of me!" she screeched, furious.  
"Kagome, who am I? _Who am I_?" Inuyasha repeated, shaking her slightly. He didn't want a repeat of that day – so instead he increased the volume of his yells.

Kagome shook her head. "Leave me alone!" she gasped out.  
"Kagome, it's me!" Inuyasha panted. "It's me, it's Inuyasha!"

"No…" Kagome whispered, drooping her head. She looked distant then. Vulnerable and sad. "No," she said again. "Inuyasha's dead,"  
Inuyasha stiffened, his eyes widening. Kagome had spoken so softly that he wasn't sure he'd heard her properly. But she'd sounded like she _believed_ that, even though he was right there in front of her.

"Kagome, I'm right here," he told her, brushing away her tears.  
Kagome seemed to cave in on herself. "No, you're just the Shadow Man. You're trying to trick me. It's not going to _work_…"

"I'm not the Shadow Man, Kagome. I'm your friend. You can tell me anything, you _know_ that…"

Kagome sniffed, her sobs beginning to cease. "Inuyasha's dead…"  
"No, I'm not." Inuyasha whispered, embracing her. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. "I'm right here."

Kagome dug her head into his shoulder and sniffed. "Inuyasha?" she whimpered.  
Inuyasha smiled slightly over her forehead. He rested his head on hers, drinking in her smell – hoping the moment would last. "Yes, Kagome. It's me,"

Kagome crumpled then like a broken butterfly. She fainted in Inuyasha's arms to the sound of her own tears falling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Plea Of A Fading Soul**

This chapter is what Kagome saw while Inuyasha was in the hot spring. Review please!

**Chapter Three**  
Through Her Eyes

Inuyasha wasn't even in the water when Kagome saw _him_. She'd been tapping out a rhythm on the ground and fumbling with Tessaiga, trying to see her reflection in its scabbard when the shadow had emerged beside her.

Kagome put down Tessaiga. She hadn't heard a presence so much as felt it. There was something there… something beside her.  
Kagome turned.  
There, sat on her right side, was a figure dressed in an outfit much like Inuyasha's – except it was black.

He wore a silver breastplate, and had on dark sandals. In fact, the whole outfit matched his presence. Dark, mysterious. _Evil_.  
"Boo," he grinned, narrowing his dark eyes at Kagome.  
She froze, dropping Tessaiga for an instant, and then fumbled to pick it up again.

She jerked backwards in fear. "You," she panted, her heart pounding in her throat.  
The person before her was in his early twenties. He had dark hair that was about Miroku's length, without the ponytail, and piercing eyes the colour of haematite crystal.

He laughed a flattered, flirtatious laugh. "_Me_," he nodded, smiling at Kagome, devilishly.  
Kagome jumped up, holding the fang-sword close to her chest. Fear wrapped around her heart, freezing her over until she felt numb.

This person was the essence of all the fear in her heart. He'd chosen a form now, instead of relying on shadows.  
Kagome's knuckles were white where she gripped Tessaiga. She began to take a few steps backwards.

The man stood up casually, grinning. "Hello, Kagome,"  
"H-How do you know my name?" Kagome whispered, backing up.  
The man laughed dashingly. "Kagome, Kagome, Kagome. I know _everything_ about you. Your greatest dreams… and your worst nightmares," his tone of voice darkened.

He held a hand out to her, tempting her to take it. "For instance, I know there is a boy in the water behind me. And I also know how much he means to you,"  
Kagome started trembling. Then, without even thinking, she pulled Tessaiga out of its scabbard.

The rusty blade wasn't at all imposing to the man before her. "You leave him alone!" Kagome snarled. "Why would you possibly want to hurt him?"

The man withdrew his hand and chuckled pitifully, shaking his head. He was humouring her and Kagome knew it. Somewhere inside of her, anger was drowning out the fear.  
"You don't understand, Kagome. _How_ can you understand when you don't even know who I am?"

Kagome shifted her hold on the blade, her expression wavering slightly. "You're Shadow Man," She told him, the fear enclosing her once more.  
Shadow Man inclined his head. "To you I am 'Shadow Man'. But others know me as… _Kanuono_."

Kagome blinked twice, then hissed. "I don't care what your name is. You've been driving me insane for the past month. Why didn't you show yourself to the others? Why did you torment _me_?"

Kanuono smiled. "What else is there to do for fun?" With that, he turned and skulked away.  
Kagome followed, making sure that he didn't reach Inuyasha. The hanyou was, by now, in the water – taking a deep breath as the temperature hit him.

He had his back to the bank and didn't see Kanuono walking behind, gazing at the water's edge.  
Kagome made to go after him, but somehow couldn't. She reasoned with herself that it was all in her head – that she must be going insane. The Shadow Man wasn't real, and he couldn't possibly hurt Inuyasha.

That was where she was wrong.  
Kagome watched Kanuono disappear into the trees bordering the hot spring. She didn't wait to see if he came out again. She sat behind the boulder, sheathing Tessaiga once more, then she took a deep breath and waited for Inuyasha to come out of the hot spring.

She didn't have to wait long. A minute later, she could hear footsteps.  
Smiling to herself shakily, reasoning that everything was going to be okay, she stood up and held Tessaiga under her arm.

She made to go to Inuyasha, ready to smile at him and say: "Let's get back to camp," … Except it didn't happen.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome dared herself to look behind the boulder.  
But Inuyasha wasn't stood there. Kanuono – _Shadow Man_ – was.

He was watching the water with a grin. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. Kagome didn't know that he was beneath the water, diving – all she saw was that there was no half-demon where there had been before.

Bile rose in her throat and her blood roared in her ears. "Inuyasha?" she called.  
No reply.  
She turned to look at Kanuono, who seemed very, _very_ happy all of a sudden. He glanced at the human girl out of the corner of his eye.

"Here's looking at you, kid." He grinned, before leaping at her and grabbing her by the throat.  
"NO!" Kagome screamed, feeling a vice-like grip close around her throat. "NO! Inuyasha! What have you done to Inuyasha?"

Kanuono laughed mercilessly, heading in the direction of the woods. "Nothing, sweetheart," he cried over her shouts. He raised her higher in the air so her feet didn't touch the ground.

Kagome couldn't breathe. She was gasping for breath, kicking out but not succeeding. She felt as if her chest was being crushed, her head was pounding and she couldn't think straight. Her lungs felt like they were going to _explode_.  
Panic was overwhelming her. She was going to die here…drowning in air…

Kanuono put her down in a clearing deep inside the forest. Time had flown by. Kagome had been losing consciousness, losing her grip on reality, when she had finally found firm ground.

She collapsed, gasping for breath. Kanuono, however, looked down at her from above, sneering. "All that matters, Kagome, is your fear. Don't you understand that? I _live_ off of your fear. You can try to stop me but you know that in the end I'm going to win,"

Kagome coughed, gasping for breaths of air. She'd been so close to fainting…. The nausea was still with her now – the urge to keel over and throw up, to wait for the dizzy feeling to end.

Kanuono had been carrying her by one hand. He hadn't appeared to be so strong, but appearances were deceiving. Kanuono wasn't actually twenty-something years old. He was a newborn demon, born from Kagome's fear. He was only a month old.

But Kagome didn't know that.  
All she knew was that Kanuono had dragged something else into the clearing with her. A _body_.

"Enjoy," Kanuono grinned, before disappearing in a thick cloud of dark mist. It engulfed him like a tornado, and then he was gone.  
Kagome didn't want to look at the corpse he had thrown at her. She didn't want to know…  
_Your greatest dreams… your worst nightmares…_

Kagome knew who'd she see if she looked down. Her worst nightmare…  
_"…I know there is a boy in the water behind me. And I also know how much he means to you,"  
_Kagome felt physically sick. She slammed her eyes shut.

Kanuono had conveniently thrown the body into her lap. The person's skin was cold against her bare legs. Their head was resting on her right thigh.  
_Oh please… I don't want to see, I don't want to see… _Kagome gasped, mentally. But she knew she had to look._  
_

Slowly, she glanced downwards, the tears already forming in her eyes. There, nestled in her lap, was Inuyasha. His eyes were wide and unblinking, a film already starting to cover them.

His mouth was twisted in an 'o' shape. He looked stunned and afraid. He was wet – the water clinging to him was cold, not hot like the hot spring had been. His skin was pale, a few shades darker than his hair.

He looked beautiful despite his expression – frozen in time like a painting caught on canvas.  
A tear splashed against his cheek.  
Inuyasha was dead, and there was nothing Kagome could do about it.

Kagome didn't pay any attention to the fact that he was naked. She let out the first sob of many and held him to her, brushing his hair through with her fingers. She tweaked his ears – trying to get some kind of reaction out of him. Nothing.

He really was… _gone_.

Kagome felt a mixture of emotions, and wasn't capable of defining any of them. Most of all, she felt incomplete. As if a part of her had been ripped away. She was only a teenager, but she knew that her love for Inuyasha wasn't just a pointless crush.

He was the love of her life. And now his own life had been stolen away – for fun. To get at _her_. Kagome couldn't stop crying then. He'd been ripped away from her for amusement… She felt that she could cry for centuries and never stop. She had too many tears to shed over this… she'd always be grieving – _always_.

Kagome bent her head and closed Inuyasha's eyes. She shut his mouth effortlessly and kissed his forehead, rocking him to and fro like a baby. Well, he couldn't really stop her, could he?

Then Kagome picked him up, unsure of where her strength had come from. She didn't hear the frantic voice in the distance calling out her name – searching for her. Inuyasha was dead, that was all that mattered.

She leant his upright body against a tree in the centre of the clearing, holding him there by his shoulders. And then, feeling the desperate urge to have some comfort, she dug her head into his shoulders – nudging his cheek with her nose.

Kagome was hysterical now. She cried until her heart bled, shaking Inuyasha to wake up. His head lolled dangerously. It was odd; he had no apparent wound or breakage that revealed why he had died. Kagome didn't ponder over it. She didn't care about _how_ he died – it was the fact that he was dead at all!

Kagome felt so alone. She'd never _ever_ felt this alone. Pressing her head into the side of Inuyasha's face, she kissed his cheek. The desperation overwhelmed her.  
"Wake up!" she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, _please_, wake up!"

She realised then that someone was behind her, watching her. _Kanuono's back…_she thought wildly. She ignored him; she wanted him to see how much he'd hurt her. Maybe then he'd leave her alone for good.

_Your worst nightmare… _Kanuono had known her worst nightmare. And of course, Kagome's worst nightmare was Inuyasha's death. Kanuono had simply carried it out.

"_Kagome_?"  
Kagome refused to listen to the voice behind her. Kanuono was back, he was calling her – he'd probably have a triumphant smirk over his face…  
"Please, Inuyasha, please wake up…" Kagome whined.

The person behind her stopped suddenly, but then carried on making their way over. She ignored them again. She started shaking Inuyasha's body harder. "Please… Please, wake up…"

The person was right behind her now. Kagome felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, but her mind wouldn't register the gentleness of it. All she thought of was Shadow Man…  
"_No_! No, leave me alone!"

"Kagome, it's all right! It's me, I'm here," A familiar voice said softly, coaxing her.  
Kagome shook her head, fervently. _No… No, it's just the Shadow Man. He's messing with your head, girl!_

She was being turned to look at the person. She herself was turning her body. Inuyasha's corpse was slumping against the tree. He was falling… she had to catch him before he hit the floor. She tried to turn back but it was too late.

Anger flared up inside the pit of her stomach. She snarled at the person she believed to be Shadow Man, not registering his presence. "No… No, you took him _away from me_!" she screeched, starting to hit him. "You _stole_ him away from me!"

She glared up then, to see Shadow Man's reaction. Her eyes found and held a pair of amber eyes. They were shining in the moonlight – and for an instance she thought there were tears brimming up in the person's eyes.

She refused to understand who it was she was looking at. She _refused_.  
"Kagome…"  
Kagome didn't want to hear that pleading, afraid voice any more. The voice that was so familiar. She cut him off. "You stole away the only person I've ever loved! I'm not afraid of you! There's _nothing_ you can possibly do now that can–" _hurt me… _she mentally finished. She didn't get to say it out loud because the familiar stranger grabbed her hands.

Kagome stared at the person in shock. They were angry, she could see that. "_Look at me_!" he screamed. "Who am I, Kagome? Look at me and tell me who I am!"  
Kagome blinked up at the person. _Inu-Inuyasha? No… no, you're dead – you're body is right behind me…_

Kagome tried to pull away, to look at the body behind her. She was pulled immediately back, but not before she saw that there _was_ no body. _No…  
_"Let _go_ of me!" she screeched, hitting out at the stranger. _I have to be sure. He's behind me, and he's dead, I swear he is…!_

"Kagome, who am I? _Who am I_?"  
"Leave me alone!"  
"Kagome, it's me! It's me, it's Inuyasha!"  
The information tried to sink in, but somehow it dissolved before Kagome could understand it. _No! Inuyasha's dead…_

She didn't realise that she'd spoken out loud. The person before her gripped her tighter, but his words were softer. "Kagome, I'm right here,"  
_You're just tricking me… It's all a trick! _"No, you're just the Shadow Man. You're trying to trick me. It's not going to _work_…"

"I'm not the Shadow Man, Kagome. I'm your friend. You can tell me anything, you _know_ that…"  
_My friend… Inuyasha, you're more than just my friend…  
_"Inuyasha's dead…" was all Kagome managed to say.

"No, I'm not." Inuyasha told her, speaking softly into her ear. He pulled her into a hug, comforting her. Kagome felt arms wrap around her. She felt anchored, safe – complete again. "I'm right here." Inuyasha whispered.

And through the clouds of confusion, those words came through. Inuyasha was right there, with her – holding her…  
New tears began to fall, tears of happiness. _He's alive… _  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed, not daring to hope.

Inuyasha seemed to read her mind. She could feel his cheek against her hair, his breath ruffling her fringe. His hands were warm; she could feel his touch through her shirt. His hold on her was gentle, yet firm. "Yes, Kagome. It's me," he said softly.

Kagome smiled limply. Then she was simply falling. Falling in a pool of her own tears. _Thank God…  
Thank God… _

The lights went out as Kagome went limp.


	4. Chapter 4

**Plea Of A Fading Soul**

Sorry I took so long to update, my bad. I really, really have to get on top of all of my stories – namely finish the ones close to finishing. I might just delete the ones that I have no idea where they are going. But, I'll carry on with this one – in fact, all of my IY fanfics I'll carry on, so don't worry your little heads.

**Chapter Four  
**Broken Hearted

Inuyasha was sat on the hut porch, looking out at the dark night with disinterest. Miroku and Sango hadn't been gone long – but he already felt that emptiness he felt nowadays. Now that Kagome hardly ever spoke without mentioning _him _she spent less and less time with Inuyasha.  
He was gradually feeling more and more alone.

Kagome was standing in the doorway, holding back the mat that blocked off the entrance. Inuyasha turned to look up at her for a moment, but she didn't meet his eyes. Instead she kept staring at the stars, seeming lost and confused. Inuyasha's heart beat quickened.

She looked so pale and thin – as if she hadn't been eating. Her eyes were clouded as if she were not of this world anymore. She was a walking corpse, her face sunken, timid – afraid. Inuyasha bit down on his tongue to stop himself from snapping at her. He hated her moments of silence.

Kagome's sad eyes turned on him and she cocked her head ever so slightly. Inuyasha blinked twice, and then stared into the night – his breath almost catching in his throat. He wanted to comfort her – protect her – but how could he do that when there was nothing he could protect her from?

"Is he out there?" he asked quietly as Kagome sat down next to him, leaning against him in her fear. She began pressing herself up against his side – begging without words for some kind of cover. Inuyasha put an arm around her, stung. She seemed to find comfort in his arms and she smiled slightly against him.

Inuyasha nudged her. "Kagome? Is he out there?" he asked, more softly this time. Kagome nodded wordlessly against him, taking in a deep breath. She didn't speak – she didn't need to. Inuyasha's blood turned to ice water. He scowled but said nothing.

He knew Kagome was just imagining things – maybe there was some kind of curse on her gradually driving her insane. He didn't like to think of her as crazy – he would stand by her, no matter what. He had to. He loved her.

His heart felt heavy all of a sudden, and his grip on her tightened.

Yes, he loved her. And he could never tell her – all because she simply wouldn't feel the same way about him. He'd be rejected. Or, if there was even the slightest chance they could be together, he would never even be able to put it into words. He couldn't. It wasn't in his nature.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered.  
Inuyasha looked down at her. He smiled, his eyes shining in the moonlight. He looked hurt. "Yes?"

Kagome's bottom lip wobbled. She bowed her head and averted her eyes, whimpering softly. "Please – please don't let him get to me." She croaked, a tear rolling down her cheek.  
Inuyasha tilted her head up until their eyes locked. His previously fake smile was now genuine. "Kagome, I won't let anyone hurt you – I promise,"

"Then there's something you must do," Kagome's voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in confusion, but he let Kagome continue.  
She took a steadying breath, and then carried on. "You must stay away from me, Inuyasha. You'll just wind up getting hurt by him…"

Inuyasha seemed to be choking on the air he breathed. His grip tightened even more and he forced Kagome to look at him. His golden eyes were ablaze. "I'm not running away, Kagome – do you understand? I won't leave you. Then he'll… he'll be able to get to you, and you just made me promise to protect you, I –"

Kagome smiled limply. She looked away. "That's what I meant. To 'get to me' he has to hurt you. It doesn't matter what he does to _me_, but what happens to _you_. That's why you've got to leave me, Inuyasha. That's what I wanted you to do for me."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He felt a yawning chasm open up somewhere inside of him. _Leave. Kagome wants me to leave… _  
"Y-You want me to _go_?" Inuyasha asked, his voice rising in pitch. Kagome nodded, wordlessly. More tears curved down her cheeks, but she said no more.

Inuyasha's mouth opened for a moment, and then he bowed his head. Not once did he let go of her. Automatically, he kissed her on the forehead. He was shocked afterwards at why and how he managed to do it, but it was almost on impulse.

And then Kagome was looking up at him, and he was looking down at her – and their eyes locked. Amber and brown.  
Kagome's lips parted, and her eyes blossomed pink with new tears. Inuyasha wished he could stop her from crying. He pulled her into a fierce embrace and cradled her like a child.

"I can't leave you, Kagome. I don't _care_ what happens to me – you're the only thing important in my life, don't you know that?" he told her, rocking her gently back and forth.  
Kagome shut her eyes and shook her head from side to side. "Inuyasha, don't. You'll only make it worse…" she choked out, sobbing.

Inuyasha sniffed and clutched onto her, desperately. _She wants me to leave because she doesn't want to see me get hurt – but I can't get hurt by something imaginary, can I? I have to stay here, by her side, to protect her from herself. I have to be there for her – it's the only thing I can do._

Kagome didn't say any more. She let herself be rocked gently to and fro, clutching onto Inuyasha's chest in an attempt to gain some comfort. She wept soundlessly against him, and Inuyasha refused to let her go. After all, he didn't trust her. She would probably just run off.

"I won't leave you, Kagome." Inuyasha said, his tone determined. "And that's final,"

* * *

Kagome woke up with the sun on her face. Inuyasha was lying next to her, and at some point in the night he had fallen asleep. He looked so young and vulnerable when he slept – like a little child.

Kagome watched him for a moment, her face expressionless. Inside, she was smiling – but it wouldn't show on the outside anymore. The words and expressions were locked somewhere deep inside of her and they couldn't be set free – not until the Shadow Man left her alone.

She sat up and looked around the hut. There was no one there. All she saw were the boards of the hut and her bag leaning against the far wall. She and Inuyasha were fully-clothed, lying on top of her sleeping mat with a blanket draped over them.

Suddenly, a sound behind Kagome alerted her to another presence – one she had missed – and her head jerked around in fear.  
There, lounging against the wall of the hut and grinning mercilessly, was the Shadow Man.

"Hey," he waved, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction. Kagome bolted backwards, the blanket falling to the side, discarded. She let out a startled scream… except no sound came out.

She didn't know what to do or say – all she knew was that her instincts were yelling at her to run away and don't look back. She crept over to Inuyasha, trying to hide him from the Shadow Man's view, but she knew in her heart that it was foolish.

Her chest was heaving with gasps for breath, and her blood was roaring in her ears.  
He was going to do what he did last time… Trick her into thinking he'd killed Inuyasha – use some kind of shadow doll to look like him and make her think he was dead. Or, _really_ kill him this time.

_My greatest fear… My greatest fear would be for Inuyasha to die, or for me to never see him ever again. Because I– I love Inuyasha. _

The Shadow Man stepped forward, his grin widening. "Hello, Kagome."  
Kagome didn't know whether you could die of fear. She felt pretty close to breaking point. She sat up in a defensive stance, trying to hide Inuyasha but knowing she seemed even more pathetic. The Shadow Man laughed.

He shook his head, chuckling. "Kagome, Kagome, Kagome," he whispered. "You never give up, do you?"  
"Leave us alone!" Kagome hissed, sounding more pleading than she had hoped. The steeliness in her voice seemed to have vanished when her words were out in the open. She mentally cursed.

The Shadow Man threw back his head and laughed harder. Kagome remembered, fleetingly, how handsome he was. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.  
The Shadow Man looked back down at her and flashed a brilliant smile, before bending down next to her and fixing her in place with a paralysing glare.

"You'll never escape me, Higurashi," he whispered, grasping the bottom of her chin sharply and pulling her close to him. His dark eyes shone in the sunlight and narrowed with pleasure. His smile was grim and dark – mischievous. He knew he was going to get what he wanted.

"He thinks you're insane. Everybody does. You haven't got a friend left in the world who trusts you. You're just the little girl who cried 'wolf'. So if anything ever happened to you – they would just assume you did it to yourself."

Kagome shook her head furiously, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She snarled at him. "You're _wrong_!"  
"I assure you, Kagome. He doesn't love you. He never has,"  
"Stop it!" Kagome pleaded, trying to pull her face out of his grip. He just held on tighter, chuckling.

He pulled her even closer towards him until his mouth was pressed up against her ear. He nipped at it once and then whispered to her, his already malicious grin widening. "There's only one way you'll get out of this nightmare, Kagome. And you'll see it – sooner or later,"

"_Oh yeah? Well, what if I kill you _first!_"_

For a moment, there was just confusion. The Shadow Man's eyes widened in disbelief and then a blade came out of nowhere, cutting in between Kagome and the man holding her. Kagome fell backwards in disbelief as the gleaming sword shot through the air at lightning speed and carved through the Shadow Man's arm, leaving his severed appendage to drop to the floor.

The Shadow Man gaped, and then he recovered – beginning to chuckle once more. He shook his head, and then all of a sudden he was gone – leaving nothing more than a thick cloud of dark smoke. "Foolish hanyou," a voice echoed, and then he was gone. All was silent except for Kagome and Inuyasha panting on the floor of the hut.

Kagome blinked two or three times before focusing on the sight before her. Inuyasha was leaning on Tessaiga, growling in the direction the Shadow Man had left. Kagome had never seen him look so furious, yet beneath his anger there was something else. He looked… ashamed.

He had truly thought Kagome was insane, and hadn't believed her about the Shadow Man – yet he'd seen him. He'd seen him attack Kagome and… and lie to her, telling her stupid things like…

_I assure you, Kagome. He doesn't love you. He never has… _Inuyasha's growling got louder and he punched the floor of the hut. He couldn't believe he had let Kagome down like that, he couldn't _believe_ it! Again, he punched the ground. And again, and again, and again – before a hand crept round his waist and he was frozen in place.

Kagome rested her head on the space in between his shoulder blades, her breathing slow. "You saw him," she wheezed, sounding light-headed with disbelief. Inuyasha stiffened, and then sheathed Tessaiga. He sighed and locked his fingers with hers.

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, Kagome…" he whispered, sounding genuinely hurt.  
Kagome smiled. "It's okay, really. It's fine,"  
Her reassurance didn't make Inuyasha feel any better. He felt raw.

"Kagome…"  
"My hero," she grinned, nudging against his back affectionately. Inuyasha's eyes widened a second, and then he too smiled. He leant back into her arms. A comforting voice inside his head said: _at least she isn't insane. At least I know that she was never crazy… and she won't be afraid again._

"Kagome?"  
"Hai?"  
"What he said… the Shadow Man… what he said was a lie – you know that, right?" Inuyasha said almost hesitantly, turning to look at Kagome.

Kagome blinked rapidly for a moment, not understanding. "Huh?"  
A blush crept up the side of Inuyasha's face. He looked away. "I – uh – mean… what he said about, uh, not loving you and stuff. He… he was lying."

_It didn't occur to me that she would actually care whether she thought I didn't love her, but… since she acted like that – maybe… maybe she likes me too, right? _Inuyasha wondered, still feeling numb inside.

Kagome's lips parted in disbelief, and then she grinned. Her arms wrapped tighter around his waist and she seemed to be glowing with happiness. She nodded. "Mm," was all she said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

Sorry I took a while to update, I really have got to get round to uploading chapters for my current fics instead of rushing along with new ones. I had this chapter fully planned out, but the one after this may be a bit difficult. _Sweating_ _a little_…

Sorry if it sounds like Shadow Man is repeating tactics but that's the way he can get to them (and by them I mean Inu and Kags). He's working all angles and pushing the right buttons.

Enjoy and thank you for all of your comments!

* * *

**Chapter Five  
**Losing the Will

"Apologise! _Now_!"

Sango and Miroku doggedly raised their heads to stare at Inuyasha with both sad and comforting eyes. The half-demon looked furious, his eyes narrowed and his claws balled up into fists. Kagome stood behind him, her hand lightly placed on his shoulder. She looked so frail and vulnerable – and a knot of sadness clenched in Sango's chest at the sight of her.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku sounded apologetic, but not for the reason he should have been. He didn't have any intention of telling Kagome-sama that he'd been wrong, that she wasn't crazy and the Shadow Man _did_ exist. Because now he just thought that Inuyasha had a screw loose too.

He, Sango and Shippo had not yet seen the Shadow Man, and neither had Kaede. How were they to believe? Inuyasha was such a strong character and it was hard to imagine him succumbing to such a hallucination, but maybe he had started to believe in what Kagome saw if that would, to him, make her seem sane again. If the rest of them believed in the Shadow Man then Kagome wouldn't be crazy.

Inuyasha lunged at the monk, grabbing him by the collar of his kimono. His eyes were almost pleading, flashing jewel yellow in the sunlight. "I _saw_ him! I saw him, damn you, this isn't a _joke_!" he screamed, shaking Miroku.  
Sango tried to stop him but Shippo started wailing by her feet, halting her in her tracks. "Inuyasha's gone _mad_!" he whimpered, hitting the ground over and over. "Inuyasha and Kagome are crazy!"

Inuyasha dropped Miroku and wheeled around to face the kitsune, his face flushing pink in anger. "Shut up, brat! It's the truth! It's–" he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. His mouth opened in fear.

_He_ was there. In the distance. The Shadow Man was _there_, chuckling.  
The half-demon turned his narrowed eyes on his three friends and pointed. "Look.Doyou see him?"

He drew Tessaiga from its sheath and scowled, then began running in the man's direction.  
Miroku, Sango and Shippo all had turned to look – but they'd seen nothing. Neither had Kagome. "Inuyasha, he's not..." she didn't get to finish.  
Inuyasha screamed and cut through the air, slashing the Shadow Man open on the spot. But when he turned to survey the damage there was no one there.He fell back a step confused.

Miroku turned to glance at Sango before bowing his head, his eyes flashing. "As much as it hurts to say this…" he began, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe it would be best if we left you two awhile,"  
Inuyasha was still looking around for where his target had gone, sure he had seen the man wearing dark attire. His grip tightening on Tessaiga and he growled before slinging his sword back in its sheath.

He snapped around to face the monk. "You think this 'insanity' is contagious?" he hollered, his eyes dark.  
Kagome's bottom lip wobbled and she understood then. Her friends were leaving her right when she needed help. Maybe it was for the best, maybe it would save them...  
But why hadn't she seen the Shadow Man just now? Why was it just Inuyasha – was Kanuono taunting him?

"Inuyasha," She stepped forward, feeling afraid and separate from the world Inuyasha saw. _He's so afraid… I can see it now… And I am too. My heart feels like its breaking. Was this how it was for him? Seeing me run around at thin air - at something he couldn't see? _Her heart felt like it was splitting in two.  
She tried to coax him over, smiling gently. "Inuyasha…"

"You saw him too! You saw him too, right?" Inuyasha cried, his eyes boring into hers. His face was so pale and he seemed uncertain. Kagome nodded, even though both of them knew it was a lie. She made her way closer to him before turning to Sango and Miroku. "You guys, you should do what's best." She said softly with a smile.  
Sango felt tears come to her eyes.

"Kagome-chan–!"  
"It's okay," Kagome reasoned. "W-We can look after ourselves. Right, Inuyasha?"  
The half-demon just turned away, simmering. He folded his arms, his nails biting so hard into his skin that blood began welling up.  
Miroku's eyes darkened. He nodded his head once in understanding, silently acknowledging Kagome's form of sacrifice, and ushered Sango and Shippo away.

The tajiya at his side let out a sob before allowing herself to be waved away. The clearing suddenly fell silent as the three disappeared into the bordering woods, Shippo sat crying on Miroku's shoulder.  
Kagome watched them go. _They're free… Shadow Man won't be able to get to them, they made it _out!  
A big grin was on her face now as she stood near Inuyasha. She made to wrap her arms around his own arm but he shrugged her off. He looked dazed. "You… You really didn't see him this time, did you?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kagome stared at him for a moment, before smiling. "I did, Inuyasha," she lied. "It's okay,"  
The silver-haired hanyou looked bewildered for a moment before sagging, pulling Kagome into his arms. He looked hurt. "Thank you…" he whispered softly, shutting his eyes and burying his face in her hair. Kagome didn't know what he meant but she kept silent, enjoying the embrace.

And then there was silence as the two of them stood there, alone in a woodland clearing – at the mercy of the Shadow Man. Neither one wanted to let go of the other, and neither one wanted to accept the truth.

* * *

Kagome was with Kaede. Miroku and Sango had planned to desert she and Inuyasha for some time, and so had a deal set up with the priestess to care for them while they were gone. Inuyasha was still bitter, knowing they'd been abandoned. They weren't crazy – they weren't!

He was alone in the very hut he had first seen Kanuono, and he felt numb inside. _That bastard… _he thought, eyes narrowing to the point of slits. _He wants everyone to think I'm crazy – turn everyone against me just the way he did for Kagome._

"And it's working, isn't it?" a voice said softly behind him.  
Inuyasha wheeled around, his eyes like twin flames. He reached to draw Tessaiga, but his sword wasn't in the scabbard. Shadow Man was stood behind him, holding the fang easily with one hand.

"I knew you couldn't teach old dogs new tricks, but I still thought you'd have learned from your old mistakes. Well, even so, this way makes it more fun." Kanuono was still wearing a kimono much like Inuyasha's, but his attire was still dark. He still wore the breastplate and sandals, with his tilted dark eyes matching his cropped black hair. He was smiling evilly.

Inuyasha rose to his feet, strangely calm. "I'm not afraid of you," he hissed.  
Shadow Man actually laughed. "Afraid? Of _course_ you're not afraid – you're petrified,"  
The half-demon snarled and clenched his fists. "I mean it!"  
"Of course you mean it. Just like you 'mean it' when you tell Kagome you love her,"

That struck a chord somewhere deep inside the half-demon. "…What?" Inuyasha breathed, falling backwards with wide eyes.  
Shadow Man narrowed his eyes and he lost his mischievous expression. He grew more serious. "Don't give me that crap, hanyou. You don't love her, you never have."

"Shut the hell up!" Inuyasha cried, trying to run at him. The Shadow Man was too fast and dodged the half-demon's attack, his eyes still dark. "You don't care about her. You wouldn't care if she dropped dead!"  
"_Shut up! _You dare touch her and you're _dead_, you hear me?" Inuyasha screamed, again lunging for his enemy. Again, he missed.

"You wouldn't care if she died, would you? You'd be happy – you and your little lover Kikyo could go and run off together, right? Could start a happy family made out of _clay, _could rot in hell together–"  
"I _would_ care! I _would_ care! I _love_ Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, hating the feeling of hopelessness rising up inside of him. He was being toyed with, but he didn't realise it – all he knew was that he was so angry… so confused… so _upset_…

"Then why don't you tell her properly? Why won't you admit it – are you ashamed of her? Ashamed of your feelings?"  
"No! No, I'm not ashamed!" He fell to his knees, staring up at Kanuono – almost begging for mercy. Then he crawled backwards, away from him, and huddled against the wall, cowering. "Just... Just leave me- leave mealone…" he whimpered.

His last shred of pride was gone – torn from him. He'd been reduced to a snivelling wreck, mentally crushed to breaking-point. His lips wobbled and he couldn't believe he'd been made to be like this. Weak.

Shadow Man stepped forward, his footsteps resounding in the hut. His eyes were narrowed now, not in hatred, but in satisfaction. He grinned. "You _do_ care? Why don't we see about that?" he whispered.

And then a liquid spattered across Inuyasha's face. It was warm and covered his skin in blotches. Repulsed, he tried to wipe it away. When he drew his hand away the liquid was red. _Blood_.  
He stared up in horror but he saw that he was too late. Kanuono had Kagome by her hair... and her neck was slashed.

She was gurgling, gasping for air. Inuyasha didn't even try to question where she had come from. He let out a cry of fear, trying to grapple her out of Shadow Man's arms. The dark-clothed figure smirked once before dropping the miko and vanishing into thin air.

Kagome's eyes were wide and her hands clawed at the air as if she was trying to prise the oxygen from the atmosphere around her. She was drowning in her own blood.  
Inuyasha hadn't even heard the sound of a knife, hadn't even _seen_…  
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Oh, Kagome…" he whispered, shaking her. He knew it wouldn't make things any better, but he was losing her – she was falling away from him...

A tear curved down his cheek and he found he couldn't stop shaking her. "Don't leave me, Kagome. Please – I'm begging you!"

He pressed his face against hers, kissing her cheek. She was turning cold in his arms, her breathing becoming raspy. He let out a tangled cry of grief, but there wasn't anything he could do.

She shuddered once, and then fell still. She was gone.  
Inuyasha pulled away, staring at her body in disbelief before letting out a howl. He screamed at the top of his lungs and held onto her as tightly as possible. He knew he was hysterical. He knew he didn't normally act like this. Why did he feel so manipulated? Why did he feel so broken?

He was a shadow of his former self – a mere shell of what he had been. He'd changed so much and he'd been left to this. And now Kagome was gone and he was all alone.  
"KAGOME!" He couldn't help but scream again.

It was all over. Kagome-_his_ Kagome-was gone…

* * *

Kanuono was surprised at how good the hanyou's fear felt. He was standing outside the hut in the shadows, calmly absorbing the boy's fright and sadness like a soul. New life flooded into him. He was the vampire of emotions – reaping in the fear of others - but mostly Inuyasha and Kagome's fear. They were who he had been born from – their fears of the future and of each other.

It had all been... _bizarre_. One day he had simply woken up with a mature mind and a mature body. He'd been created out of other demons and they had informed him that his soul would be derived from two others. A hanyou and a miko. From that point on he would absorb their nightmares and become a whole new creature all together. Fear itself.

He would have to live from other's terror from that point on – but what really kept him alive was the nightmares of Inuyasha and Kagome. He didn't know what he felt when he looked at them. He saw Kagome as the reason for his being – his creator. And Inuyasha was more like the life-support, if ever there was such a thing. The bank of emotion. The one he could absorb from.

Kagome's fear was nothing compared to Inuyasha's. The half-demon was not easily crippled and now that he was, his terror was bittersweet. The finest.  
Kanuono grinned and shut his eyes. Prolonging his life was not an errand. It was fun.

* * *

Inuyasha didn't know how long he'd been staring at Kagome's dead body before he realised that Shadow Man had left Tessaiga resting against the wall. His father's fang gleamed like moonshine. He craved to feel it in his hands; he needed it for some form of support.

Resting Kagome gently on the floor, he made his way over to his sword. He felt empty and moved like a zombie – except without a purpose for living. Everything felt suspended. He didn't feel like he could belong anywhere anymore. His future was over. Kagome was gone…

He grasped Tessaiga by the hilt and stared at it wordlessly, watching it convert to its true form. He wished he could be where Kagome was now. He wanted to be with her – he wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.  
He raised Tessaiga easily, the point of the fang aiming at the hollow of his throat.

He wanted to end it all. He wanted to be with her – he didn't want to be alone.

He shut his eyes, strangely calm all of a sudden. He pulled his hands back, prepared to use his own sword to end his life... But that was whenthe hut mat was thrown aside in a flurry. He opened one eye and swung his head to stare at the newcomer.  
_Kagome_ was standing in the doorway, illuminated by the dying sun. Her dark hair billowed around her, her brown eyes wide in a pale face.

The moment Inuyasha hesitated saved his life. "K-Kago–?"  
She tackled him to the ground, Tessaiga flying out of his grip and burying itself in the wall before reverting back to its rusty form. She stared at him, incredulously. "What the hell were you–?"

He clutched her by the shoulders before he could finish. He stared at her with eyes filled with tears, frantic. "You're alive! Kagome, you're alive!" he cried, a smile painting across his face.  
Kagome stared at him, confused. "What? Of course I'm–" She stopped suddenly,realisation dawning on her. She straightened, her face afraid.

She looked like an angel as she rose. Calm and yet afraid. Serene and beautiful. "He was here, wasn't he?" she asked quietly, head bowed.

Inuyasha stared up at her for a second before slowly nodding. He turned back to where he had laid her body and then saw there was nothing there. And then he too understood. The same trick that had been pulled on Kagome had been pulled on him.  
He'd been so easily duped. So easily manipulated.  
He felt raw.

Kagome was trembling, pacing back and forth. "Nowhere is safe anymore… nowhere. What can we do – where can we go?" She turned to glance at Inuyasha, her eyes soft. Then she dropped to her knees, staring into his eyes. "Inuyasha, you… you were really going to do it?" she asked quietly.

The half-demon averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Do what?"  
"Kill your–"  
He leapt forward, covering her mouth with his hand. "Why would I do a stupid thing like that?" he cried angrily.  
Kagome blinked furiously before he pulled his hand away.

Inuyasha just glared. "That was _not_ what I was going to…" he trailed off then, feeling herarms wrap around him. He looked down slowly to see her holding him. The last of some kind of trance had been removed from him and now he was himself again.

He could push her away. He could tell her to get a grip.  
He didn't want to.  
He held her there, smiling.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head so they were kneeling cheek-to-cheek.  
"I was… I was so... I was so afraid, Kagome..." he stammered, his grip on her tightening.  
Kagome bit her bottom lip delicately and tried to hide a smile. She nodded wordlessly.  
Then they just stayed like that. The two of them once again unwilling to let the other go. Because they knew the next time the Shadow Man came back, the games would be over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

I wanted to update quickly, as I'm bored waiting while I'm presumably one day away from my movie arriving. I had an idea for this chapter, despite the cliff-hanger ending of the last one, and I had to carry it through. Bear with me. And don't worry – I'll keep it clean.

Sometimes I'll say 'hai' instead of yes. I can just imagine Kagome saying it at appropriate times, and 'osuwari' in place of 'sit!'. You should know the rest of the Japanese words. Katana sword, hanyou half-demon, youkai demon, miko priestess.

Meiko and Kanuono belong to me, the rest belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Shounen Sunday.

* * *

**Chapter Six  
**Lost In The Fog

Inuyasha folded his arms, his eyes narrowed against the sunlight as it ducked beneath the canopy of the forest trees – dying in a pool of its own blood-red light. Sunset.  
His legs were tucked beneath him, Tessaiga resting across his lap as he looked out over the forest in front of him and watched Kagome wave some primitive form of a snakewood stick around, lunging at imaginary enemies.

Inuyasha would've mentally laughed had reality not dawned on him. It wasn't funny. He hadn't seen Kagome concentrate so much before despite when she was aiming her arrows. He'd never seen her hone another weapon besides a bow before – never even imagined it – but the stick seemed a part of her, something she could easily control like another appendage.

She wielded it well, her lunges swift and calculated. Her brown eyes were dark as she spun and held an imaginary trap in the air – locking the 'enemy's' weapon with hers. She was getting better and better at it, even _if_ she had no intention of attacking Kanuono. It was to work up her confidence – to prove to herself that she _was _strong, no matter how afraid she was.

Inuyasha watched her with eyes the colour of the burning sun, flashing in the fading sunlight. She looked so beautiful.  
Kagome pivoted on her left foot, bringing the stick down and jabbing the air, her teeth gritted in pretend fury. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes ablaze as her dark hair whipped around her like a banner of midnight. The scarlet of the sun's rays caught her full in the face, illuminating the burning determination in her eyes.

Inuyasha shivered. He had to stop thinking about her – for his sake and for hers. If he got too attracted to her, only to have her taken away… He clenched his fists. He'd been attracted to her long before this night, he knew, and it was stupid of him not to remember that. But he couldn't keep reopening the old wound if it were only going to be slashed open again.

"Kagome," he said softly. "Quit waving that twig around,"  
Kagome turned to look at him, her face disgusted. She clutched tighter onto the stick, feeling the hard wood beneath her hands. "I've noticed something," she spat. "After all that I've been through, you seem to be getting a harder time. I seem to be getting better, whereas _you_ are getting worse – I'm not the only one who's noticed. Forgive me if I haven't resigned myself to that fear just yet,"

She began hitting the air with the stick again, her lunges more impacting than before. He'd pissed her off.  
Inuyasha scowled and stood up. "_Me_? Getting weaker? You're forgetting that I'm not afraid of anything,"  
"That's a lie and you know it," Kagome snapped back without turning, jabbing the air.

The half-demon stepped over to her, his footsteps soft as he crossed the wet grass. He withdrew Tessaiga from its holster, leaving it in its rusty form. His eyes narrowed in challenge. "You think you're mastering that ditzy stick?" he grimaced.  
Kagome stopped then, jerking her head in his direction. Her hair billowed around her before settling around her shoulders. Her eyes shone. "Maybe a little,"

The challenge had been set. Kagome smiled once before ducking from Inuyasha's sudden horizontal slash. She whirled behind him, raising her weapon to strike him on the head. The move was too obvious and she realised a little too late. The back of Tessaiga shot out from the space between Inuyasha's waist and arm. The hilt struck her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Kagome gasped for breath, falling a few steps backwards before getting a better grip on her stick. She watched as Inuyasha turned, smiling devilishly. His own cheeks were flushed now, his eyes glittering like citrine crystal. "Come and get me wench," he grinned.  
Kagome didn't obey his command. She sucked in air, dropping to the ground and clutching hold of her stomach in pain.

Inuyasha stepped over slowly, his eyes narrowed. "See what happens when you try a new style of fighting, Kagome? It's pointless, you–" he didn't get to finish.  
That moment, Kagome jabbed her stick upwards, penetrating his guard and jabbing him in the bottom of the chin. The hanyou fell backwards with the force of the impact, dazed. His eyes were wide.

Kagome laughed as she straightened up. "Psyche,"  
Inuyasha was confused for a moment before he growled and pulled himself up from the floor. "Cheater," he hissed, pointing the rusty blade of Tessaiga in her face. Kagome's stick clashed with the sword, her eyes glittering. Then without warning, she knocked the katana to the side and jabbed Inuyasha in the chest.

He, too, got the wind knocked out of him. He took a few startled steps backwards, before narrowing his eyes in near-satisfaction. "So it's that game, is it?"  
"All's fair in love and war," Kagome shrugged, crouching in a defensive stance.  
Inuyasha tensed up after hearing the first part, then let it go. "Whatever,"

The next instant, Tessaiga was a gleaming fang. "All's fair," he smiled.  
Kagome pouted before ducking his wild jab. She knew he was deliberately not aiming directly at her, and he knew she knew. That made it harder on him. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't actually _hit_ her, despite the fact that Tessaiga wouldn't harm a human.

The sparring session was getting out of hand. He had started it and now he was sure he wanted to finish it. But what was the way to do it? Walk away like a man, or crush her will completely? "Kagome, I–"  
Her stick connected with Tessaiga, a shockwave running up his arm and throughout his body. Stunned, he stared at his sword in confusion. He regretted it instantly.

Kagome spun her stick before pointing it downwards and lunging, putting all her weight behind it. It connected satisfactorily, catching the half-demon in the spot between his legs. His eyes widened for an instant before he let go of Tessaiga, falling to the floor with a whine. He curled up into a ball, squealing in pain. "Bitch!" he howled, rocking back and forth.

Kagome smiled playfully. "Looks like I'm the last one standing," she noted. She watched as the half-demon let out a cry of pain on the floor, writhing in agony. Maybe she had hit him a little too hard.

"_Kagome_,"  
She turned to see a withered face staring at her, two beady black eyes analysing the situation. A slow smile appeared on the woman's face. Kagome lowered her stick, smiling back. "Kaede," she grinned. "We're… uh… having a sparring match, is all,"

Inuyasha groaned on the floor, rolling away from both of their prying eyes. He was whining like a dog, and Kagome couldn't contain the snicker beginning to rise in her throat. She focused on the old woman, brushing her hair back. "I… aheh, caught a sensitive spot,"

"'Caught' it my ass! You _aimed_, bitch!" Inuyasha screamed, trying to pull himself up into a sitting position.  
Kagome scowled, shooting daggers with her eyes. "Call me bitch again and I swear, Inuyasha, I'll…"  
"Bitch!"  
"Osuwari!"

Kaede chuckled. "It's nice to see you two are back to normal. After last week's event I wasn't so sure,"  
_A week…? Has it really been a week already? _Kagome wondered, putting a hand up to her head. Inuyasha was silently simmering, his face pressed into the ground.  
Kagome noticed that Kaede was carrying a basket full of herbs. She looked up. "What was it you wanted, Kaede?" she asked, dropping her stick.

Kaede sighed. "I be making a spell to ward off evil spirits – for your benefit, child. There is but one ingredient left, and I was hoping that you would accompany me,"  
Kagome was silent a moment before turning back to Inuyasha. "Is it okay if I go?" she asked.  
He sniffed, pulling himself out of the ground. "Get out of my sight," he said.

Kagome looked pleading. "But Shadow Man…"  
"I told you to get out of my sight!" Inuyasha snapped, whirling around. "I'm in agony thanks to you! Just… Just go!"  
Kagome sighed, turning back to Kaede. "Hai…"

She followed the old woman out of the clearing, glancing back once before resigning herself to herb-hunting. She was sure Inuyasha would be fine – he seemed to have his old attitude back, and maybe he could handle Kanuono now he was back to normal. Maybe.  
She sighed and crossed her fingers, shutting her eyes for an instant. _Please. Please let him be safe… _

* * *

Inuyasha sat up, wincing in pain as he moved. _Kagome, you bitch…  
_He couldn't believe her movements had been so unpredictable – he had thought that she would still be fearful after Shadow Man's influence and this would make her weak. Defeating her was supposed to make him feel better, supposed to make him feel stronger and make her feel weaker. That way he could go back to his normal role of protecting her, making him feel even more superior. Back on top.

He felt worse. Running a hand through his hair, he frowned. She'd gotten a lot of training down in the week since she'd 'died'. Inuyasha had seriously thought that after hearing the same trick had been pulled on him that had been pulled on her, she would be afraid. But she wasn't afraid, she was building up her confidence – whereas he was crawling deeper and deeper into the corner of his mind, cowering.

What if it happened all over again? For real? What if he lost Kagome permanently? Would he be able to cope?  
He didn't know why he had been so easily broken that day last week, how Kanuono had gotten under his skin so easily and so fast. He'd just pushed all the right buttons. He'd mentioned Kagome dying and living on with Kikyo in the same sentence – anybody saying that to him would make him feel raw. Worse than raw, guilty. The thought was too painful.

And how had Kanuono even held Tessaiga? If he was a demon then he should have been repelled by Tessaiga's barrier, but it hadn't affected him. It hadn't been in its fang form, so that meant he couldn't wield Tessaiga, but it still sent shivers through Inuyasha's body when he thought of Shadow Man holding onto his father's sword like that. He snarled.

"Kagome… you better be back soon," he thought aloud, frowning.

* * *

Kagome bent down to examine a fourth patch of mushroom-like fungi, poking it tentatively. She looked over her shoulder in Kaede's direction for some kind of instruction, but the old woman shook her head. "They be poisonous, child." She said. "Let's continue."  
Kagome rolled her eyes and stood up, watching Kaede head through the trees before following.

She looked around, scowling. A fog had descended on the forest not long since they had ventured inside, and it was getting thicker. Kagome didn't like it and by the way Kaede was hurrying, neither did the priestess. "Kaede, don't you think this mist is becoming a problem?" Kagome asked, ducking beneath an overhanging branch.  
The priestess nodded. "Yes, we should hurry,"

Their pace quickened but it didn't seem enough. The fog was like ghostly fingers prying at Kagome as she went passed, clawing at her and exposing her soul – her fear. Her heart pounded somewhere in her throat, her blood roaring in her ears. Tendrils of fear were enveloping her heart, a cold shiver running down her spine.  
_Inuyasha… I need you…_

Her foot snagged on a tree root and she tumbled to the ground, letting out a sharp cry before covering her head with her hands. Kaede didn't seem to notice – she was disappearing in the fog.  
"Kaede! Kaede, I think I've twisted my ankle!" Kagome called, hating the stupid cliché of it. Girl in misty woods, girl trips and sprains ankle, girl gets lost… girl gets killed. Bile rose in the back of her throat.

"_Kaede_!"  
There was no reply. It was as if the miko had vanished. Kagome began shaking, hyperventilating. The grass was cold beneath her body, her shirt riding up to expose her belly-button. Her stomach was slick with moisture. She tried to move, but found it too painful to lift her foot. She let out a gasp of pain.

The fog was so thick she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Shadows were everywhere. Everything was strangely dark, yet illuminated by the fog. A silver mist that shone like moonlight. The world was black and white. Silent. Like an old movie.  
Kagome sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. _It's okay… it's just fog – it'll be okay… _But she couldn't help thinking that Shadow Man had something to do with this.

Being alone in the mist, lost, wasn't exactly her worst nightmare but it was scary enough. She hated feeling alone. Clutching onto a tuft of grass, she pulled herself up. She opened her mouth to call for Kaede again – for _someone_ to help her. She doubted her voice would carry as far as Inuyasha. As she opened her mouth to cry out, she saw a figure in the distance. The fog seemed to disperse around her, fading into nothingness. The person was thin and tall, almost willowy, with long hair running down their back in waves.

Kagome's heart thumped in relief. _Inuyasha_.  
She reached her hand out in his direction as he got closer, but when he was only a few feet away, she knew she had been naïve. At first she thought it was Kikyo, but she wasn't so sure. True, the woman was dressed as a miko, with the red trousers and white kimono, but her hair was long and golden. Her eyes were the same as Naraku's.

Kagome knew, by just one glance, that she wasn't here to help – because Shadow Man was standing just behind her.  
"Oh, Kanuono, let me play with her…" the woman purred, bending down. Kagome tried to crawl away, but found she was paralysed. She let out a whimper.  
The woman was beautiful, and reminded her of Kaguya despite seeming about nineteen in age. She was a youkai, Kagome could tell at a glance.

Shadow Man chuckled. "Play with her all you want, Meiko, but the hanyou is mine,"

Kagome let out a tangled scream before Meiko's hand shot out, clutching onto her hair. "Sweet dreams," she whispered, before everything went black.

* * *

Inuyasha was relieved when he saw Kagome step out of the forest, but the relief soon vanished when he saw she was swaying, her eyes dim and lifeless. She looked pained.  
"Kagome?" he rushed over, forgetting what he was going to shout at her – forgetting to yell after she had hurt him earlier. _She's hurt, she _must_ be hurt…_

Kagome looked up then and saw him, her mouth opening almost in a moan. Then she just collapsed, falling into his arms.  
"W-What the–?" Inuyasha gaped down at her, staring. Her head tilted up to his, her eyes filling with warmth. Her cheeks had been pale, but now they flushed with colour. Her lips puckered in anticipation.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed, leaning her face into his. She looked drunk.  
The hanyou pulled away, shocked. His eyes widened as her fingers curled around his bangs. She wrapped the silver strands around her fingers, smiling softly against his chest. "Inuyasha…"

He tried to push her away but couldn't, she held fast – one hand on his shoulder and the other making its way through his hair. She looked half-asleep, yet flirtatious. _Longing_.  
Inuyasha gulped, terrified, yet he _let _her push him to the floor. He _let _her straddle him and caress his left ear while whispering his name. Oh, he let her do all those things. And he let her do a whole lot more.

"I want you," she breathed, her hand slipping beneath his kimono and running along his chest, affectionately.  
He was choking on the very air he breathed. He had no idea where this had come from. He felt dazed, just watching her.  
She licked the side of his face once before raining kisses along his cheek and down his neck, helping him remove his haori.

But it was _his_ hands that fought at the folds, trying to remove it. It was also his hands that were tangling in her hair, pulling her closer to him. "Kagome…" he said against her lips before they kissed, his tongue sliding into her mouth. His body shuddered with ecstasy.  
Kagome kissed fiercely back, her hands forcefully pulling his kimono apart. Her hands slipped down and fought to untie the bow on his trousers. He put his hands on hers, helping her with the loops while he lay there – afraid yet willing.

As soon as the knot on the bow was untied, Kagome seemed to freeze up as she came to. The kiss ended, and her eyes snapped open. The spell that had been placed on her had vanished, and she was left panting and confused. She lay motionless on top of Inuyasha, her tongue still in his mouth. Their lips were still locked. She blinked furiously and stared down at the hanyou, pulling their mouths apart.  
His eyes were shut as he tried to claw on to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't stop…" he whispered, daring to lean in for another kiss.

Kagome let out a hoarse cry of disbelief and she jumped off of him, looking down in shock. Inuyasha's haori was beneath him, his kimono opened and the bow of his trousers undone. His legs were slightly open from where she had straddled him, and he was trembling. His hair was mussed and his face was pink with both shock and excitement.  
His eyes fluttered open.

"K-Kagome?" he seemed to focus on her a moment, before realising that her expression was one of repulsion. He sat up slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. He said her name again, softer this time.  
She didn't answer. She looked like she was about to vomit. Tears filled her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand before shutting her eyes and turning on her heel – running away.

"Kagome? _Kagome_!" Inuyasha screamed, standing up and attempting to run after her. He was confused – worse than confused, he was in a state of shock. Kagome had forced herself on him, hadn't she? So why was she running away now? Why was it that she seemed to regret it now? What the hell was going on?

"Kagome! Kagome, wait!" But it wasn't enough. She was already gone. He stopped, staring at the spot where she had disappeared amongst the trees. Before, her eyes had been so… dull. Almost possess–. He didn't get to finish the thought properly. He felt the contents of his stomach rise up in his mouth. He was throwing up before he realised what he was even doing.

Possessed. Kagome had been possessed. What else could explain it? And he had taken advantage of her – he had gone along with it. He had let his feelings for her blind him to the fact that she wouldn't normally _do_ that, wouldn't be like that in her right mind.  
He'd ruined everything.

_Don't stop…  
_Inuyasha punched the ground, letting out a howl of anger. He screamed louder than he had in his whole life, louder than he had when Kagome had 'died'. Because she would never forgive him… ever.

* * *

How was it?

Poor Kagome, poor Inuyasha...  
Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

I hope you all like this chapter. See, I had loads of different ideas for fics and then thought – wait, I can just throw them in POAFS. Well, maybe 'throw' isn't the correct term, that sounds too heartless. But I had some ideas that I really liked. I just hope the last chapter was good enough for you all, and that this one will jam (quote _Doctor Who:_ "…a word I have never used and hopefully will never use again!")  
Comment please!

* * *

**Chapter Seven  
**Stolen Wanderer

Ghostly serpents cut through the air as if they were the wind itself, weaving with their mouths opening and closing in earnest. Their skin was a pale blue, and their heads appeared to be those of fish with fins cupping the side of their 'necks'. There were about five of them drifting through the air around their mistress, their eyes as red as twin rubies.

It was late, the moon a mere slither in the sky. The pale glow illuminated the miko's face, her brown eyes narrowed in almost contempt. Surely she would run into them soon, she had been travelling for days.  
"Kouchou. Asuka." Kikyo said softly, not turning from the direction she was facing. The two shikigami appeared as if from nowhere, stepping out from the trees and continuing to walk by her side. "Hai, Kikyo-sama?"

"Go ahead and find them. If the girl is there, leave a trail – I need to speak with her,"  
"Hai," the twin girls simultaneously nodded, their expressions too calm to belong to what appeared to be children. An aura enveloped them, and then they were gone. Kikyo didn't even acknowledge their disappearance. She tilted her face heavenward, her eyes sparkling like the stars.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end and she turned east, her senses alert. She frowned once, her eyes ablaze. "Shouki,"

* * *

The three were quiet around the campfire, Kirara hopelessly trying to stir the attention of the tajiya, houshi and kitsune. She wasn't succeeding. Mewing softly, she bowed her head. Sango patted her back absently, her eyes distant. She looked up at Miroku before turning to face the fire once more.

Shippo remembered the last time they had sat around a campfire with Inuyasha and Kagome, and cringed. He tried to keep a brave face, picking up a stick and jabbing the fish cooking upright beside the fire. Then, before he could help himself, he broke out in tears. "We're so mean! Leaving Kagome and Inuyasha like that! How could we do that? It's not fair! It's not _fair_!"

"Shippo, enough!" Miroku snapped suddenly, clutching onto his shakujo tightly. He looked pained and the small fox youkai immediately fell silent, wiping away the tears tracing paths down his cheeks. Sango put a comforting arm around him and pulled him closer to her like a mother would do.

Miroku's eyes shone. "We did what we had to do – for the good of us all! It's what they would have wanted,"  
Sango nodded, trying hard to hold a smile on her face. When she succeeded it only appeared weak and sad. Shippo sobbed and buried his face in Sango's side. "I miss them…"

"We do too, Shippo-chan, but it'll all be over soon," Sango soothed, running a hand through his hair. The small demon sniffed and raised his eyes. "R-Really?"  
"…Yes," Miroku said almost bitterly, sitting back away from the campfire. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking. "We'll see them soon enough,"

That was when the light appeared in the clearing, ricocheting around them like penetrating rays of sun. Sango gasped and Shippo glanced fearfully in the direction of the aura, letting out a yelp. Miroku didn't seem surprised. He narrowed his eyes. "Kikyo-sama…" he said softly.

Shippo managed a hoarse 'nani?' in his confusion before hiding away from the appearing shikigami. Sango composed herself, calming. Kirara let out a sound that was almost a growl and her fur stood on end. She didn't convert to her larger form, it seemed she was bluffing.

Two girls appeared beside the campfire, the scarlet flames licking up into the air and causing their faces to contort amongst shadows and unearthly light. Their hair was dark, their eyes distant. Kouchou and Asuka – Kikyo's puppets.  
Their arms were folded in their kimonos, and they looked around almost dazed. It took a minute for them to register who was sat around the campfire. They raised their eyes. "Where is Kagome?" Asuka whispered.

Sango clenched her fists. "Why do you want to know?" she snapped, attempting to sit up before realising how tightly Shippo was clinging on to her. She stayed where she was and simply glared at the two girls.  
Asuka turned to her, expressionless. "Kikyo-sama wishes to see her,"

"She's not here," Miroku spat, turning away. "She's still in Musashi's domain with your mistress's sister, Kaede."  
Kouchu's lips parted yet she said nothing. Asuka turned back to the other girl and they both seemed to incline their head in understanding. Then they were gone.

Shippo blinked away the tears still brimming in his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath. "Are they gone?"  
"Yes, Shippo," Sango said, her tone rather steely. Shippo stepped out from behind her, shaking himself down. "Those girls never scared me before – they just got the jump on me is all," he whispered.

Miroku nodded yet said nothing. _Is Kikyo-sama wounded? I can see no other reason why she wishes to speak with Kagome-sama. Unless… _He shut his eyes, his expression dark. _Maybe it's Inuyasha's time to choose…_

* * *

Kikyo hadn't realised she was being followed. The night was dark around her, compressing her into the forest until she couldn't see anything for the trees. She had originally decided on heading in the direction of the shouki, but now she wasn't sure where it was coming from. It wasn't anything like Naraku's shouki. It was different.

She bowed her head, her pace quickening. She couldn't help but begin to think about Kagome. She _had_ to speak with her; it was so important that it was a necessity now. No, it wasn't anything to do with Inuyasha. It was possibly to do with the shouki she was sensing now.

A few nights ago she had heard a rumour from a human villager that there was a youkai hanging around their village at night. It didn't appear to do any harm, except every night the villagers would have terrible nightmares. One man eventually committed suicide as a result of these "taunting" dreams.  
Eventually the youkai had moved on, but had left the villagers insomniacs. They were all afraid of falling asleep. Kikyo had immediately wanted to investigate, especially after also hearing that something had happened to Kagome.

Apparently her reincarnation had taken a turn for the worst. Insane, they said. At least that was what she had overheard after witnessing two wolf demons setting up camp for the night. They'd been discussing catching up with Koga, and then had started talking about Kagome – Kikyo couldn't help but think that at the time they had been crying.

She had to see for herself whether Kagome was really insane and how Inuyasha was affected. She wanted to know whether Kagome had seen this man that had been taunting the human village – she'd gotten a good description of him. Kikyo wasn't normally driven by curiosity, but this hit too close to home. She couldn't help but check it out.

Kikyo tensed suddenly, realising something was wrong. Someone was behind her. Taking a steadying breath, she remained calm and carried on walking at her regular pace, casually drawing her bow and arrow. She didn't get far enough. A strong hand grabbed her wrist before she could move and twisted it so that if she moved it would break. She was only made of clay and she had not taken a soul for a while now. She was weak and her attacker knew it.

"Ha, well if it isn't the clay girl? Just the one I've been looking for," a male voice purred nastily in her ear. Kikyo hissed in pain as he twisted her arm slightly again. She couldn't see him, she was still facing forward.  
"Drop your weapon, now. Before I decide to reshape that pretty face of yours."

Kikyo gritted her teeth angrily and let the bow go from her hand. She hadn't had enough time to retrieve an arrow. The shinidamachuu circled into the sky, realising she was in trouble. Either they were off to fetch her new souls, or heading to find someone to save her. She didn't need saving – she could fight this bastard herself.

"What do you want?" she asked, scowling.  
The stranger laughed, apparently flattered. He leant in close to her ear, and a strand of dark hair teased her shoulder. Kikyo flinched.  
"I need you to come with me."  
"Who are you?" Kikyo snapped instead of replying.

He didn't reply for a moment before chuckling softly. "G' night," he said instead. Kikyo opened her mouth to speak… but then the lights went out.

* * *

Tears streamed down Kagome's face. She didn't know how long she'd been running; all she knew was that she had to get as far away from Inuyasha as possible. She kept trying to tell herself that it wasn't his fault – that maybe he'd been under some kind of spell as well. The other part of her mind screamed that he had _wanted_ her – it proved he loved her, didn't it?  
_It was still wrong! He should know me by now! He should know I would never–! _

Kagome collapsed to the floor, gasping with the sobs causing her body to tremor. She furiously wiped away the tears, but even when she did this, new ones took their place. "I-Inuyasha–" she whimpered, raising her head and covering her face with her hands.

"Aw, poor baby," a soft voice purred beside her. Kagome didn't leap away in fear. She remained kneeled in the dirt, crying her heart out. A hand snaked around her neck and rested limply on her shoulder, providing false comfort. "That was bad of me, wasn't it?"

Kagome didn't bat her away; she let the stranger's hand stay there. Except she wasn't a stranger. "Meiko…" she gasped out.  
"Sh-h, don't cry now, baby…" the girl soothed, pulling Kagome into her arms. "It's all right now, that nasty half-breed's out of your life forever,"

"No!"  
"Sh-h…"  
Kagome turned to look up at the elder girl, letting her tears carve scars down her cheeks. Twin ruby eyes stared back at her, emotionlessly. Cascades of blonde hair surrounded the girl holding her. She was like an angel. Kagome suddenly felt like everything was going to be okay. Everything was all right now. Inuyasha was gone, Kanuono was nowhere around and Meiko was holding her – she was safe.

"That's right. I'm here, it's okay. They won't hurt you anymore…"  
Kagome leant back in the girl's arms, her eyes slowly shutting. "Meiko…"  
"Don't talk no more. It'll be all right."  
Kagome's eyes were completely shut now. She took a shaky breath and then sighed. "…Hai…" she breathed, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

* * *

Inuyasha had been searching all night, but there was still no sign of Kagome. It was morning, and Kaede had expressed her concern when she had run into him earlier.  
Inuyasha clutched the sides of his face and let out a tangled scream of anger. It was all his fault – Kagome was probably in danger right now, and it was all his fault!

He had to find her… he just had to.  
_The Shadow Man…  
_He clenched his fists. If anyone knew where she was it was him. He had to get Kagome back, he had to apologize. And if that meant he had to stand up to Kanuono then that was what he had to do.

Inuyasha didn't know if he could suddenly summon Shadow Man, but maybe if he went looking for trouble then trouble would somehow find him, right?  
The sun shone through the canopy of the woods above, casting ladders of light across the leafy carpet of the forest.

Inuyasha started to walk, heading blindly in the direction he found suited him. _When I find you 'Shadow Man', this time you're dead.  
_He thought back to the time Kagome had first been affected by him – that day before she had woken everyone in fear. He remembered her face, the absolute horror on her face…

_Kagome was staring at him, her eyes widened and her mouth opening and closing in shock. Inuyasha simply stared back at her, his arms folded. "What?" he shot back at her, looking down at himself. There was nothing wrong with him. Kagome looked like she had just seen a ghost, though.  
"Damn it, girl, what is it?" he demanded.  
Kagome's eyes filled with tears, before she pitched forward. Inuyasha grabbed her and tilted her face up to his, afraid she was hurt. She appeared unharmed. _

"_Kagome? Kagome, are you okay?" he said hurriedly, his heart pounding. She didn't reply, she just let out a sob. "How could you…? I thought– I thought we had something spe–" And just like that, she fainted. _

He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel guilty about that time. What she had said… it had hit him right to the core. Lowering his eyes, he frowned and folded his arms. He and Kagome needed help, he realised that distantly. He wasn't helping her any, and she wasn't helping him.  
Despite how he had thought she was getting better and he was getting worse, Kagome couldn't take much more of Kanuono's taunting or possession. She would shatter and so would his heart.

Inuyasha felt a chill run down his spine, turning the blood in his veins to ice water. He turned, his heart beginning to pound. Without even seeing him, he knew someone was standing within the shelter of the trees – hiding. _Shadow Man…?  
_Straightening, Inuyasha attempted to narrow his eyes. _I've found him…_

"I've been expecting you, hanyou…" a soft voice whispered behind a trunk of a tree, a clawed, tanned hand the only thing in sight as it slipped down the bark. Inuyasha shrugged off the purring tone. He unfolded his arms and clenched his fists.

"I know who you are – who you _really_ are," he warned, his voice ringing with anger. The silhouette within the mass of trees encircling him laughed. Chuckling pitifully – a predatory sound. Almost sympathising. It was as if he had just won a fight… or knew he was going to win one.

Inuyasha felt his control over the situation slipping already. He hadn't realised that the fear was coming back. "I mean it!" he cried, backing away uncertainly. He still had no idea why he felt so affronted by Shadow Man, but the sound of his voice made him want to turn on his heel and run.

Kanuono began making his way forward, approaching Inuyasha and entering the clearing – setting a challenge.  
Inuyasha felt a tremor run up his leg. A muscle jumped – an instinct he was born with. _Quit now! Run away! Danger, danger, DANGER! _He so wanted to obey his instincts, but Kagome came first.

Still, he felt the world slipping from him.  
_I'm not afraid… I'm not afraid…_ He kept trying to tell himself. But his defences were buckling and his expression was one of pure fear. His pupils were tiny, his skin was pale and his lips were trembling in anticipation.

But then, through the blind fear, his mind whispered: _say something…_

Inuyasha clawed up his fingers and snarled – his last shot at redemption. He had to be brave… he had to be– "I'm not afraid of you!"  
The shadowy figure froze for an instant and then softly shook his head, exasperated. And Inuyasha saw his face, then. But he refused to believe it… refused to _see_…  
_It – It's not possible…_

The person who stepped out from the trees… was _him_. Himself. Kanuono's eyes were narrowed in satisfaction, golden irises glinting in the pale morning sun. His skin was tanned and curtained with long silver hair. He was still wearing the dark kimono, but any sign of his breastplate was gone. He looked like a darker version of Inuyasha, and the hanyou felt bile rise in his throat at the sight of him.

There was one thing different, however. On either side of Kanuono's face was a purple mark, jagged and pointing slightly towards his chin. His eyes flashed menacingly.  
Inuyasha gulped and took a step backwards, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kanuono laughed, stepping out into the clearing. "Poor, _poor _hanyou." He mused. "How can you _not_ fear when I am Fear itself…?"

* * *

Dictionary

_youkai_: demon  
_hanyou_: half-demon  
_tajiya_: demon exterminator  
_houshi_: priest  
_kitsune_: fox demon  
_miko_: priestess or shrine maiden  
_hai_: yes  
-_sama_: honourary suffix, meaning master/mistress lady/lord, e.g. Lady Kikyo  
-_chan_: suffix, for someone younger or someone you grew up with, I think you can use it for somebody cute  
_shakujo_: Miroku's staff  
_shouki_: demonic power or energy, like poison  
_shinidamachuu_: Kikyo's reptile things that hunt for souls  
_shikigami_: familiars, I heard they were. Puppets that aid you and protect you, usually youkai


	8. Chapter 8

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

I hope you all liked the last chapter. And we've hit the 50 reviews stage (thank you!)  
This chapter is dedicated to Miko-no-Kaze, for commenting on every chapter of this so far (except the seventh, but I can forgive you for that!) And also for always commenting on my stories, e.g. Flat Line and Erase The Past. You keep my fingers typing!

* * *

**Chapter Eight  
**Song of the Suffering

Kagome woke up, dazed and confused. Her head was lolling sleepily on one side and when she focused she saw that she was standing upright in a torch-lit cave. No, not standing – hovering. She was sealed to the wall like she had been by Kaguya so long ago. She tried to scream but found her throat knotted up.  
That was when she realised that she wasn't alone. When she looked around her brown eyes met and locked with an identical pair. There, on the opposite wall of the cave, was a young woman with long black hair. She seemed elder and more willowy than Kagome, but that was the only difference.

_Kikyo_…

"So you're awake," the woman said without emotion.  
"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome found herself snapping, lurching forward from the wall. Her face was flushed with anger suddenly, angry at herself and at Meiko. How could she have been so stupid? How?

Kikyo looked disgruntled and annoyed. Her hair was stuck to her face with perspiration, her eyes narrowed. "I don't know," she said with careful precision. "I was looking for _you_,"  
Kagome's eyes widened suddenly. There was suddenly the sound of water dripping from the roof of the cave to the floor, a trickle catching Kagome on the cheek. She blinked furiously. "W-Why?"

The miko opposite looked away almost bitterly. Kagome realised that she, too, was sealed. Kikyo glanced at her briefly. "I heard that you went 'insane' yet you seem perfectly fine to me."  
"Insane?" Kagome repeated, a pit opening up inside of her. She gulped back the urge to scream out in anger, and she clenched her fists.

Kikyo was continuing, though. "I came to ask… are you being stalked by a youkai?"

Kagome saw the glint of apprehension in Kikyo's eyes. She bowed her head and grimaced. "You've seen him,"  
"I have," Kikyo admitted, nodding once. She seemed surprisingly calm about the whole situation, angry but not surprised.  
Kagome smiled, knowing fully well it wasn't a particularly nice smile. "_Shadow Man,_ or Kanuono, has latched on to Inuyasha now."  
"Nani–? That can't be–" Kikyo began, before recovering. She took a deep breath and turned her face away. "Soka,"

The two bowed their heads simultaneously, falling into silence. Kagome glanced up once, saw that Kikyo was staring at the floor as if it weren't really there, and gave up. "So, how did you end up here?" she asked for want of conversation.  
Kikyo didn't look up. Her face remained a mask. "A moment of weakness, nothing more. I was captured by that youkai I believe is… how can I put this…?"

"Stalking me? He's not a pervert; he's a _nightmare_, Kikyo."  
Kikyo raised her eyes, disinterested. Her eyes flashed almost angrily. "You make it sound so over-dramatic. No wonder Inuyasha is always running after you, you're a damsel in permanent distress. Incapable of doing anything on your own?"

Kagome blinked furiously. _Nani? Kikyo has never sounded like this before – I can't explain it! Is she jealous or something? _She didn't know, instead she narrowed her eyes. "Since when does blowing things out of proportion crown me an invalid? At least I can have a bath without being afraid of my skin crumbling away," Kagome shot back.

Kikyo's own eyes narrowed. "I know how you got here, Kagome. I know how you were manipulated by that witch – she gave me the satisfaction of hearing her little scheme while you were out cold. You're not too different from me are you? Easy to see a betrayal when it's in black and white, isn't it?"

Kagome felt a laugh rising up inside of her, trying to escape no matter how much she tried to squash it down. "Since when is trying to make love with me a 'betrayal'? I just didn't like it that I wasn't in control of my body," she sneered back, only half-lying. Still, she winced inwardly at how bitchy she sounded.  
She hated the arguments, hated being looked down upon by Kikyo. She always ended up hating herself for the way she acted around the other girl.

Kikyo's mouth opened in disbelief, her eyes widening briefly. Kagome had never seen her look so shocked, so uncertain before. There was plain horror written all across her face, her skin unbelievably pale. She shook her head in fierce denial, her eyes aflame. "He's an arrogant, indecisive puppy. You're just spinning a lie,"

"No. You just refuse to believe the truth," Kagome snapped angrily. "Face it, Kikyo, you just can't stand seeing him letting you go,"  
_What's happening to me? _Kagome thought, wildly. _Why am I putting on such an ugly voice? Why am I being so horrible – we're both in this situation together, aren't we? _

"You just can't face the past we shared together," Kikyo countered, her thoughts mirroring Kagome's exactly.  
Her reincarnation just smiled back, nastily. "And you can't face the future that he'll share with me. Without you,"  
Kikyo opened her mouth to snap back before a cold wind blew into the cave, kicking dust up into their eyes.

"_Easy girls_,"

Kikyo and Kagome snapped round, their faces filled with anger suddenly. The blonde miko standing at the mouth of the cave was smiling limply, holding a torch that she then began to hang up in a holster on the wall.  
"Where's Inuyasha?" they both asked, their voices as cold as winter.  
Meiko let out a flirtatious laugh, placing a hand on her chest amiably. "Why do you think I should know? You should calm yourselves; you're like a cat and mouse at each other's throats like that."

Kagome attempted to clench her fists, but found her body was turning numb. Her head felt light and she wasn't sure that she was even holding on to reality anymore.  
Kikyo was sagging at her spot on the wall. "Why?" the miko asked. "Why are you doing this to us? Winding us up and letting us go…?"

Meiko laughed again, a laugh that reminded Kagome of the Shikon no Tama splintering into a thousand pieces. "You're quite right. Why, I wonder? Kanuono feeds off fear, not anger. And I feed off something entirely different," She briefly flashed Kagome a look, her eyes sparkling in the torch light casting amber highlights across her face.

She shook her head, beginning to speak almost as if to herself. Her voice was distant, wistful. "Yet still, I can feel it throbbing somewhere here… The source."  
"The source?" Kagome repeated, dazed.  
Kikyo lowered her eyes. "She's speaking of the source of her power. Her energy stock."

"And that _doesn't_ include you!" Meiko cried, rounding on her. "Damn you, little miss high-priestess, why the _hell_ do you think you know it all?"  
Kikyo clenched her fists, her teeth set in a snarl. "I don't know what you derive your power from, but whatever it is – I'll put a stop to it,"

"Are you sure…?" Meiko purred, her eyes mocking suddenly. She looked almost sympathetically at Kagome, before turning back to Kikyo. "I expected you would say that. Well, why don't we let Kagome have her say in this?"

"Be quiet, Kikyo." Kagome said desperately, her eyes filling with tears.  
Kikyo's head snapped up. "_No_. I'm _sick_ of her games. Earlier, our argument, it was her – she was controlling us like a bunch of puppets. I refuse to be used like–"  
"I don't _care_! Shut _up_!" Kagome screamed. Fear was curling around her heart, casting a dark shadow in her mind where only dark thoughts came forward.

_I don't know what it is Meiko 'feasts' on. But whatever it is, I have a feeling I don't want it to stop. Something about the way she's smiling… the way she's asking me to have a say in its defence…_

Kagome turned to Meiko, her chest heaving with pants for breath. "Tell me, Meiko, tell me one thing. What does Kanuono want with us – what do _you _want with us?"

Meiko grimaced, brushing back strands of angel-golden hair, her eyes sparkling like rubies. "Well, a civilised conversation at last. I think I can answer that," she smiled. She made her way over to where Kagome was held to the wall, her tanned skin laddered with light from the surrounding torches. "Kanuono has an obsession with you, Kagome." She whispered, her voice trembling almost with excitement.

She was so close that Kagome could feel her breath on her cheek. She pulled back away from her, flinching.  
Meiko's eyes suddenly seemed to be looking right through her, as if she wasn't really there. She smiled ruefully. "He also feels the same with Inuyasha – with his fear. It's like a drug, and he's addicted. This little theatrical should keep him alive for– ooh, let's say for a good century."

She raised her eyes, smirking cruelly.  
Kikyo's eyes widened in confusion and Kagome turned to look at her. "Kanuono… He feeds on our fear. Mine and Inuyasha's,"  
Meiko's grin widened and she ran a hand through Kagome's hair, snapping the girl back to face her. "It _is_ his purpose," she smiled. Then she leaned in close to whisper in Kagome's ear; so close that their cheeks brushed together. "Just as it is _my_ purpose to feast on your lo-"

Meiko stopped suddenly, her eyes widening so her pupils were mere pinpoints. She pulled away from Kagome, her skin the shade of parchment paper as she made noises as if she were choking.

Kagome's eyes widened as she watched the blonde girl collapse to the floor, clawing at her throat in terror. "I… I… c-c-c…can't b-b-b-breathe…" she wheezed, writhing in the air. She raised a hand in Kagome's direction, her eyes pleading. "P-Please…! _Agh_!"  
She slammed her eyes shut, clutching the sides of her face as she began screaming at the voice resounding in her head. "Kanuono, _stop_!"

_Kanuono? He's suffocating her? But how? How can he when he isn't even here? _Kagome's mind screamed as she tried to pry herself loose from the wall. She couldn't. The bounds must have been put on by Kanuono, as she couldn't break free.  
_He's silencing her, _the girl suddenly realised, staring at Meiko. _He doesn't want her to give away his plan… _

Mieko raised her eyes, and Kagome felt like she didn't recognise the girl's face anymore. The girl's eyes were completely black – no longer their unusual red. Her mouth opened in a scream but no it didn't come out. Instead, a voice reverberated in the air – deep and male. And it was coming from Meiko. "_Tell them anymore and I'll slice your pretty throat open, my love_."

"Kanuono!" Kagome shrieked.  
Meiko turned to face her, her body shuddering. Except it wasn't Meiko. It was the Shadow Man. He began chuckling, using Meiko's body like a disguise. And he was talking to her. Talking to her through her own body.  
Kagome felt bile rise in her throat. It reminded her of the way, when she was a kid, she would play with puppets and mouth out the words they were to say – make them repeat things like idle toys. Because, back then, that was just what they were. Toys.

Was that what Meiko was to Kanuono? A toy?

Shadow Man laughed pleasantly. "Inuyasha says he knows who I really am," he jeered, seemingly addressing Meiko. "But I want to play with him some more before I tell him the truth."

For a brief instant, Meiko seemed to take back control, her eyes remaining the endless black of night. "Wh– What do I–?" She didn't get to finish. That was when the two mikos sealed to the walls saw some form of electricity batter the elder girl's body. Purple lightning.  
Meiko screamed. "Kanuono, please! It burns! You're killing me, Kanuono!" she shrieked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Kikyo turned her face away, as did Kagome, in disgust.  
Shadow Man regained control of her body. He sneered. "Don't forget, Meiko-Meiko." He pointed at the wall on Meiko's left, grinning evilly. "Corrupt her. I want to feel his pain."  
It took all three of the mikos to realise just who he was motioning at for a moment, before Kikyo stared sombrely back. She smiled. "_Corrupt_ me?" she repeated.  
Kanuono smiled once. "If you were meant to be indestructible, you would have been made of stone." He grinned. "As it is, you're not."

"You can't!" Kagome gasped out. "You can't get Kikyo involved in this! This has nothing to do with her!"  
"Oh, I assure you, Kagome." Kanuono countered. "It has _everything _to do with her." And then, without as much as a warning, Meiko's limp body pitched forward. Dishevelled blonde hair surrounded her in waves. Kanuono was gone.

Kagome couldn't tell if Meiko were dead or not. Kikyo just stared emotionlessly at the spot where the girl had fallen.  
Kagome glanced up, her eyes wet. "Kikyo…"  
"I don't need your pity," the miko snapped back. "Save the concern,"

The blonde spread-eagled on the floor raised her head slowly and Kagome jumped despite of herself. She thought, briefly, that Kanuono was back, but then realised this wasn't so. Meiko looked around, and then seemed to realise that there were tears rolling down her face. She wiped her eyes hastily, composing herself as she glared angrily at both Kagome and Kikyo.  
They had caused her weakness – it was them she should punish. Meiko snarled and she turned to Kikyo, descending on the miko. The woman just stared back, amused.

Kagome's lips trembled with desperation suddenly and she surged forward. "Meiko! Listen to me! You survive on– on l-love right?" she cried urgently.  
The blonde froze and turned to face her, her expression cold.  
Kagome gulped back the nausea and continued, hearing her blood roaring in her ears. "On m-mine and In-Inuyasha's love?"

Meiko's eyes narrowed. "I do. Sadly for myself, it is not a love I _like_ absorbing. Watching one grow day after day so happily while seeing mine fail,"  
Kikyo clenched her fists, yet said nothing. Kagome felt some form of triumph or ecstasy rise up inside her at the sound of the word 'grow', yet she took it in her stride and kept her face neutral.  
"Then why are you making us suffer? Why are you letting Kanuono do this?" she cried. "I know that you love him, it's obvious, but if he's just going to use you and abuse you like th–!"

"Shut up!" Mieko snapped. "Don't you see? When your life is in danger, _his_ love grows just as his fear grows! It's a risk I've got to take! Love and fear go hand in hand, yet I know that if Inuyasha chooses that bitch then I'll probably die – I _know_ that! But I trust Kanuono; I want to stay by his side! _That's_ my only reason!"

Kagome's eyes widened suddenly and her heartbeat seemed to still.  
_"I want to stay by Inuyasha's side. That's my only reason…"  
_Almost her exact words, repeated by the least likely person. Meiko was trembling, and Kagome realised that she wasn't angry at her captives. She was angry at herself, at Kanuono. She loved him, she hated him, and she couldn't let him go.  
Meiko clenched and unclenched her fists, looking away. "But… But if he chooses you…Well, I'm set up for life."

Kikyo jumped back into the conversation then, her voice cool and commanding. "So you're working with this "Kanuono" so you can both get what you want?"  
Kagome shook her head, calm. "No," she said softly. "No, Kikyo. Meiko… you're– you're doing this out of love, aren't you? You're a demon forged from a shell – just like Kikyo. Your soul was taken from the base of your cr-creation – and so you have to take things from them to keep the life your living. Stealing… Stealing from… m-me," Kagome whispered, suddenly realising what it was she was talking about.

Meiko growled. "I am _nothing _like her!" she roared, jabbing furiously in Kikyo's direction. "How _dare _you? I would never betray the one that I love! I would never ever believe for one instant that he didn't love me!"  
"It's much more complicated than that," Kikyo spoke up defensively.  
Kagome, contrary, turned a lop-sided smile on her incarnation. "That's funny. I thought you said betrayal was in black and white."

Kikyo glared, while her reincarnation just stared silently back.  
Meiko shut her eyes and took a calming breath, gaining composure. "If I had my way, there would be no suffering in this world. No pain, no heartache. But I have to do as Kanuono says – I _want_ to. I need to prove my love to him… and the only way to do that is to get rid of _you_." She turned, her eyes narrowed in Kikyo's direction.

"_You_ need to be out of the picture forever. With you gone, I'll have eternal life. How can you stop absorbing an eternal love?" she said icily.  
Kikyo's face paled. "Eternal lo–?"  
Kagome looked up to the ceiling of the cave, her eyes distant and widened. Meiko's confidence was filling her with a new kind of feeling. With a new hope... And a new guilt.

_An eternal love… _

_Of course, Inuyasha. _She thought, remembering a line from her last English class. One that spoke in unison with the soft voice in her mind. _Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over…_

"Do you still want to put an end to my power source?" Meiko asked softly as she stepped over to Kikyo, her voice reverberating in the air. "Because if you do, it's not just my life you're threatening."  
She smiled nastily, cupping the necklace dangling freely from her neck. "Oh no, it's not just _my_ life you're threatening. It's Inuyasha and Kagome's… isn't it?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

Okay, I know I didn't take too long to update (hopefully) and that I am updating fast enough for you people. The rules are this. I'm not allowed to upload new stories until one other fanfiction is completed, or the story that I'm uploaded is completed. So this one has lagged behind a while because it's close to finishing – if you couldn't tell.

And I haven't been able to update because I've had exams, gomen. But now hopefully that should be over and done with and I should be getting back to fanfictioning. Love you all! We've got to the 60 reviews stage! Kya!

PS: This, uh, fic is going to be ending slightly differently than how I planned thanks to a certain something in the recent manga. I hope you understand.

PPS: Ruler isn't working. Damn. So &&& will take its place for this chapter. And possibly, if it continues to be annoying, for the rest of the fic. Arigato gozaimasu.

&&&

**Chapter Nine  
**Reflection

Kikyo lowered her eyes and in fear, Kagome lurched forward – no longer staring at the ceiling through to an apparition of a hanyou she could not see nor hear. There seemed to be tears in Kikyo's eyes. Real tears. Kagome couldn't help but think she was the reason for them, and her heart pounded wildly.

"Meiko, please!"  
"No," Kikyo cut in. She raised her eyes, enraged. "Meiko… to destroy the source of your power… How do I do it?" the miko asked softly, cunningly. At the sound of that voice, Kagome turned numb inside out.  
Meiko laughed, almost cackling. "You sneaky _bitch_!" she swore, "I knew it! You are just a heartless shell after all! I'd never tell you how to put an end to me, _never_!"

"Do I have to kill _her_?" Kikyo asked, turning her eyes on Kagome. Kagome's insides packed together, rising inside of her to the point where she thought she would throw up. Kikyo's eyes were deadly cold. "I'll do it. She means nothing to me. If it means I'll be ridding the world of two youkai such as you, then I'll do it."

Meiko fell back a step, literally shocked at the idea of it. But then she recovered and narrowed her eyes. "I hate you," she whispered, her voice as cold as winter. "But no, that wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I hope you realise that Kagome has a lasting effect on Inuyasha. Even when she's gone he'll still need her – still keep her inside of him. Unlike you, who only made his life go from bad to worse."  
Kagome felt a tear roll down her cheek. _No… Kikyo doesn't deserve this… _Her heart pounded and she tried to reach forward, hoping to catch either ones attention.

_Kikyo still loves Inuyasha… All that time, even while sealing him, she still loved him. And for a little while, she made his world better. Maybe not comfortable, maybe not perfect, but worth living. She… She can't believe that her love was pointless…_

Kikyo clenched her fists, her eyes shining in outrage, disbelief, and complete and utter sorrow. Kagome watched as a tear rolled out of one of her eyes. It vanished as quickly as it had come; leaving nothing to suggest it had ever been there in the first place. Kikyo's expression was masked carefully and she narrowed her eyes at Meiko.

_If I can get her where I want her, then I won't have to sacrifice Kagome… _she glanced at her reincarnation now, her face guarding the plot beginning in her mind. _If I turn them both against me, if I'm weakened, I think I can do it. And that way no one will have to suffer.  
_Kikyo tried to ignore Meiko's spiteful words, tried to focus on Kagome's disgusted expression at hearing such a thing fired at her incarnation. Yes, Kagome was there. She was telling her – through her eyes – that it wasn't true. That Meiko was wrong. That she'd been worth something to Inuyasha, and still did.  
She _would _be worthy.

Meiko turned, her blonde hair whipping around her as she went. "It's no use. Whatever you plot, whatever you decide, it can't work. Kanuono will succeed,"  
"Meiko, he plans to _kill _me, I'm sure of it." Kagome hissed. "If you just _listen _to me!"  
The miko turned back, infuriated. "If he kills you, then I don't care – so be it. You mean nothing to me, either of you."

Kagome regarded her expression for a moment before bowing her head. She couldn't see a way out, not in a long shot. Kanuono planned on corrupting Kikyo, and at that time, who knew what would happen? Would the Shikon no Tama become even more defiled than it was already? And how would Inuyasha react? And, when Kanuono was finished with Kikyo – what then?

Meiko smiled to herself. "As it stands, I'm getting stronger. And so is Kanuono. I can feel Inuyasha's fear, just as Kanuono can. Thick and rich. Desperate. I can almost surface his thoughts. He's…" she froze, suddenly, and for a moment Kagome was sure that the girl had turned to stone. It was almost as if, in one swoop of a hand, one bat of an eyelid, that Meiko had stopped breathing, as if her blood had stilled and time had stopped.

Then she clenched her fists and she was running.  
Kikyo's eyes widened momentarily before she decided either she didn't care or Meiko didn't. The girl was leaving. Leaving them chained to the walls, prisoners. But they could escape right? Now that Meiko was gone…

"Be still," Kikyo hissed under her breath to Kagome just as the girl had begun to wriggle out of her invisible bonds. She immediately stopped moving and lay limp against the wall, staring in the direction of the older girl.  
Kikyo's gaze was calculating, staring down at the ground but looking as if right through it. "Why would she abandon us like that? Lower her guard…"

"Inuyasha said he'd learnt something about who Kanuono is. Maybe Meiko herself has learnt this too," Kagome put in.  
Kikyo met her gaze and almost nodded, her cheeks colouring slightly as if she was swelling with pride. But then Kagome blinked and she was almost sure it had never happened. The miko before her turned her face away. "And do we know what Inuyasha has learnt?"

Kagome sighed. "I have no clue. He… He was born from our fear. Kanuono. Meiko was born from our–" she stopped, wondering whether she was almost about to catch Kikyo wincing. The miko seemed unaffected.  
Kagome didn't finish her sentence; she just took a deep breath and tried again. "When I first saw Kanuono he was dressed in a haori and outfit much like Inuyasha's. _Exactly_ like Inuyasha's. Except it was black. I remember thinking that, and remember wondering how coincidental it was.

"But now that I think about it–" she stopped. Kanuono had hair that ran down just below his ears, as black as his impossibly dark eyes. But if his hair was slightly longer… say, down to his back, and his eyes had been violet… That face could almost belong to–  
Kagome's blood turned to ice water. She made to start a sentence but it choked in her throat, leaving a tense silence in the air. Kikyo was staring at her.

_I chose not to notice. I chose not to see… _her heart seemed to still in her chest and she found that the world was spinning. Spinning totally out of control. _His face… His face was Inuyasha's… And I didn't even notice, I didn't care – I was so worried about Inuyasha, so concerned and so afraid. It was almost as if– _There was no doubt in her mind. Kanuono had blinded her to this – used her fear against her to make her oblivious.

"Kagome…?" Kikyo prompted.  
_And Kikyo hadn't even noticed, _Kagome concluded. _Unless_… "Kikyo," she started uneasily. "Did you actually see Kanuono when he caught you?"  
The miko raised one elegant eyebrow before shaking her head. "No. All I know is that he has dark hair – it spilled onto my shoulder while he leant over."

Kagome sucked in a quick breath. "Then maybe Inuyasha really does know something," she said softly. "Because Kanuono… could pass as his double. Albeit a dark, evil, _human_-looking double."  
Kikyo's expression didn't change except her eyes narrowed. "Kanuono _is _Inuyasha?" she asked quietly, dangerously – almost as if she were daring Kagome to admit this.

Her reincarnation said nothing. Kagome balled her hands up into fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hand. _That's impossible…! _Her mind screamed. But if she believed that so furiously why did she not answer Kikyo?  
She gritted her teeth. "Meiko couldn't have discovered this."  
"Why not? She just admitted she could surface his thoughts. And Inuyasha is with Kanuono now, is he not?"

Fear rose up inside the pit of Kagome's stomach. Her own brown eyes narrowed just as Kikyo's did, until she was unsure whether or not they were really so different after all. "If Inuyasha thinks the same – that Kanuono is him – what is it going to do to him?"

Kikyo made a gesture that was almost a shrug. "I've yet to be told what it is this 'Shadow Man' has done to you. To both of you. I don't really think it is possible for them to be one and the same."

"But _we_ are," Kagome said, raising her eyes. Kikyo stared back with equal intensity before inclining her head in solemn agreement. Neither had to say anything else. No, they were not alike in mind. But they shared the same soul. Whether or not they liked it – they were the same.

Kagome felt a tickling sensation inside of her, a rumbling uncomfortable feeling that told her to say something. Told her to tell Kikyo – reassure her – that she had meant something to Inuyasha, despite what Meiko had said. She could tell what Kanuono's 'girlfriend' had said had hurt her. But she found the words wouldn't come. And she doubted Kikyo wanted any kind of support from her rival.

"What now?" Kagome practically whispered, bowing her head.  
Kikyo looked away also, staring in the direction Meiko had run off. "We wait,"  
"Wait for the _trouble_ to find _us_?" her reincarnation asked sceptically.  
Kikyo sniffed, shaking her head. "We wait for the answers."

&&&

Inuyasha attempted to glare at Kanuono, but found he was failing pitifully. Where had all is courage gone? At the sight of him, at the sudden realisation of who it was standing in front of him, he felt like he would faint. His legs were wobbling and he felt so utterly annoyed at himself that he thought he would slice open his legs for being so rebellious.

But he _was_ afraid. He didn't know what it meant to look at himself in the mirror and point the finger at the reflection, labelling them a bad guy. The ultimate fear. He didn't want to register the face as his.

Kanuono's hair was no longer chopped short, but was flowing down to his waist. His dark eyes were not in reality black, but the darkest purple Inuyasha had ever seen, bordering blue. His smile was wicked, fangs indenting the upper lip like a troll. And his ears were youkai – pointed, oblong and elf-like.  
Two light purple marks ripped across the flesh of each cheek. Youkai birth markings.  
This was his true form. Apart from a few questionable inheritances and mismatched human/youkai appearance, Kanuono was Inuyasha.

And he _was _him, there was no doubt about it. The fire in those eyes, the stubborn yet battle-hungry expression, and the slant of his smile were traits Inuyasha had possessed before meeting both Kikyo and Kagome. The untamed beast that was lying dormant inside of him.

"You know who I am…?" Kanuono teased, stepping forward. The voice that came out from between those lips was Inuyasha's. "If you truly know, then why are you so afraid?"  
Inuyasha took a stumbling step backwards, clenching his fists. _Stay away from me! _His mind screamed as he tried to get as far away as possible from Shadow Man without leaving the clearing completely.

"You're me…" Inuyasha stammered out. He gripped onto the bark of a tree trunk behind him, hoping it would offer some comfort. It didn't. He just stood there, staring at his mismatched image while fear rose up inside of him.

Kanuono smiled. "Am I?" he replied. "What lunacy led you to that idea?"  
"Don't toy with me." Inuyasha spat, eyes narrowing. "It's why you could hold Tessaiga! It's why you weren't repelled by its barrier! And it's why you know every little itty bitty detail about me and Kagome!"

He jerked forward, silver hair billowing around him as he did so. "And you scare the shit out of me! I'm not afraid to say that, when all I'm afraid of is turning into _you_!" he roared.  
Laughter rung out through the air, and Kanuono tossed his hair, running a hand through it elegantly in a way that Inuyasha had only seen Sesshoumaru do. Anger rose up inside him.

The jackass was looking down on him, treating him like a smaller, insignificant being. Just like his _dear_ older brother did.  
Kanuono took a few more steps forward and Inuyasha, despite his strong words, reacted by backing away again. But his face was full of fire as he did so.

"You're cleverer than I originally suspected. And there's something else you're afraid of too, isn't it? You're afraid that all I do, all I say, is correct. That Kagome's death would jolt you so much you wouldn't be able to move on. Or is it true that you do not love her? I've said both of these, and what is _really_ interesting is to know which is the truth…"

"I already _told _her I loved her."  
"Love-d? Past tense? Just like it is past tense for a certain _other _individual?" The dark-haired figure stepped forward yet again, but this time Inuyasha stayed put.  
Kanuono had crossed the line. Fury was rising up inside of him so it clouded out all other thoughts, blinded him to all except that Kanuono was there, standing, mockingly, in front of him.

Not only had Kanuono insulted him, he'd insulted the two people in the world he cared for the most. He treated the three of them like they were nothing, like they were meaningless and their love didn't exist. But it was solid between them. A triangle spinning helplessly out of control – yes – but still real: still there, and still strong.  
Maybe Inuyasha couldn't sever his ties to Kikyo completely, but it didn't stop him from loving Kagome. Loving her for she was and not for being anything but herself.

Inuyasha withdrew Tessaiga from its sheath and took a challenging step forward. Kanuono reacted by raising an eyebrow, but he didn't move, pale, nor widen his eyes. If he felt any reaction other than amusement, he hid it expertly.  
"You don't know a damn thing!" Inuyasha cried as he placed one foot in front of the other, infuriated beyond belief. "Kikyo was my first love." He hissed, clutching tightly onto the hilt of the fang, his own teeth bared. "And I love both of them now. In the present," he continued, eyes aflame. "But I'm not an idiot. Kikyo isn't _supposed_ to be here, and I'm _supposed_ to be moving on. I can't forget about her, but I can't stay in the past. And so I've got to move on!"

He gritted his teeth as if each step hurt him, his eyes narrowed to slits. And for one instant Kanuono was afraid. Afraid of Inuyasha's determination, afraid that he didn't know what the hell was going on here. Fear itself was terrified.

"So you see," Inuyasha said in a voice as cold as winter, velvety and full of emotion. "There's a time and a place. Kagome is my future. Kikyo's my past. And right now I'm getting tired of your crap."

Kanuono's expression darkened and he clawed up his hands, shifting his stance only slightly, but now he was ready to fight. "You really think you can defeat me?" he challenged, purring.  
Inuyasha smiled fleetingly. When he spoke, he hoped the words would strike to some chord within Kanuono. He grinned. "I don't think. I _know_,"

And then he pounced.


	10. Chapter 10

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

Okay, I promise you, I'll upload so close together that… wait, I may just upload the rest of this fic in one go for you people who want to know what happens to the gang. I'm sorry I've left Miroku, Sango and Shippo kind of out of it for the past few chapters, but I don't think they serve much purpose anymore. They're free. They do not believe Inuyasha and Kagome – yes – but they're safe. So be content for the while.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku have not appeared in this fic yet because… well, they are insignificant to the story. Just bathe in the Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyo-ness of it. Plus throw in my two little OCs. I hope you guys like Meiko and Kanuono. Well, not _like_ them, obviously, since they're the baddies (mwahahaha!) but I hope you enjoy their presence, as such.

Okay, I'll stop rambling. Onward with chapter ten!

PS: Ruler is still not working...

&&&

**Chapter Ten  
**Separation

Tessaiga sliced satisfactorily through Kanuono's flesh, arcing downwards from his left shoulder to his right hip. He stared down in amazement, shocked and confused. Blood spilled out from the gash… but it wasn't a gash as such, was it? It had completely sliced him in half… and he was falling – his severed body splitting in two as it connected with the ground.

Kanuono paled, white as a sheet, blood erupting from his mouth. He turned his head to gape at Inuyasha, helpless and disbelieving. He had not even seen the hanyou swing the blade. H-How could he have attacked so fast and so swiftly? The hanyou's blows were always wild and predictable. He should know, he was borne of him – he _was_ him.

But the silver-haired boy just stared back mercilessly, golden eyes burning.  
Kanuono tried to raise his left hand, pleadingly, yet found it was disconnected – the nerves didn't travel to the other severed half of his carcass.  
He gasped for breath, sucking in what air he could, but it was no use. His body was destroyed and he was weak beyond belief. He was dying…

Inuyasha jammed Tessaiga into the ground and he bent down on one knee beside the dying Kanuono, eyes shut and his face full of rage still. "If you are really me," he practically whispered. "Then why? Why would you try to kill Kagome when you…?"  
Kanuono rasped a breath, blood spilling out of his mouth even now. "… _Feel the same?_"  
Inuyasha's eyes widened momentarily before he nodded. "Yes."

"Because…" he coughed, turning to face him. "I would never, ever put her in danger."  
Inuyasha raised his head, confused. "What the–? That doesn't make _sense_! Aren't you supposed to be some kind of evil twin?"  
"Just because I'm evil… doesn't make me a complete opposite… I wanted what you had. Your life… I would've done anything to– t-to be you. Weakening you was the only way. Making you so afraid… I hoped to turn Kagome into my arms. That- That was before I met… _her_."

"Her?"  
"Meiko. She was the other side of me… And yet, because of how I am, I treated her… bad. I could not forget… Kagome." Kanuono said hoarsely. He chuckled then, turning away. "She hated me for it. Yet she stayed by my side. And I realised… she was just like Kagome. In a way. Because just as I am you, she is Kagome."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He did not know who this 'Meiko' was, but already he had begun to dislike her. He feared her, feared her reaction to him. If she was Kagome…  
"But how? How did this happen?"  
"All children inherit traits from their parents." Kanuono grunted. And Inuyasha remembered. The person before him and been borne from his and Kagome's fear… extracted from their souls.

"And you became my dark side, just as this Meiko became Kagome's dark side."  
"… Exactly." Kanuono nodded. He reached up and Inuyasha hated it, but found himself holding onto the guy's hand. He didn't even know why. It was just as if he had to.

The hanyou looked away. "You hate Kikyo?" he asked absently.  
Kanuono laughed. "With every fibre of my being."  
Inuyasha looked down, gripping hard onto his enemy's wrist. "Why?" he breathed.  
He didn't expect an answer at first, but then he felt the squeeze of fingers on his own and he dared to look back. Kanuono had shut his eyes. He looked so peaceful, smiling to himself as if the answer was so simple. "Because I love her."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Because you…?"  
"Kagome, I hate. Kikyo, I hate. And most especially… I hate Meiko. Because love is the one thing I am afraid of. That is exactly what Meiko was born from. You're love. And I detest her, loathe her, more than anything else in this universe. Because I am afraid of love; afraid of loving her. And Fear cannot be afraid."

"So who do you love really?" Inuyasha asked, getting tired of this conversation, tired of all the different revelations that contradicted one another. "Come on. You can't expect to love three people and get away with it. Who do you love the most?"

Kanuono still had his eyes shut at this point, but he opened one lazily. "The same could be said of you, Inuyasha." He grinned. And it wasn't a nice grin. It was a smile to frighten small children. "Who do _you _love the mo–?"

Inuyasha attempted to open his mouth to speak, but found the fingers on his were as cold as ice. And when he looked closely, Kanuono's lips were blue. He'd stopped breathing. He was dead.  
Inuyasha didn't know whether to feel triumphant or feel weary. He let go of the figure's hand like it were a poisonous spider and jerked away.

Blood stained the bottom of his kimono, and as he stood, he felt light-headed. Too much information was pressing itself into his brain. He felt so tired all of a sudden.  
Sniffing the air, he could catch traces of Kagome's scent – something he hadn't been able to sense earlier. He looked down at the corpse on the floor and silently cursed Kanuono for tricking him, before taking off in the direction of the girl.

_Hold on, Kagome… _he thought desperately. _For me…_

&&&

Meiko came to a slow halt. She'd run blindly away from the cave, ran for dear life towards the forest in the distance and the clearing where she knew Kanuono would be. _Kanuono! Kanuono, please be safe! _She'd thought. Her heart had been pounding furiously and she'd thought she was going to throw up.

That all changed when she stepped out of the boundary of trees and into the clearing. There, lying limply on the floor, were two halves of Kanuono's body, the furthest away being the half bearing his head. The closest to her was nothing but his left arm and legs.

She stumbled forward, tears blurring her vision before she ran the rest of the way towards her love, sobs erupting from her before she could even think to cry. She clutched onto half of his body, fussing over him and kissing his forehead. Tears ran down her cheeks as she clung onto him, noticing the traces of a mischievous smile still on his too-beautiful face.

He was dead. He'd been murdered – murdered by that Inuyasha. _  
_Meiko clutched tighter onto Kanuono, sobbing into his chest now. She hated feeling the slick of blood against her body as she pulled him close, the smooth line that had dissected him rubbing against her body as she shuddered against his deformed corpse. But she didn't care – couldn't care.

She brushed his hair out of his face, her tears marring the perfection she saw there. Long, dark eyelashes rested against parchment-white skin. His lips were soft blue, the top lip slightly indenting the lower, with the signs of one of his lower fangs gracing his top lip. And then, he didn't look so mischievous. He looked weak… vulnerable.

And he opened his eyes.

"Meiko," he whispered, throatily. "You're squeezing me to death."  
The girl gasped and dropped him abruptly, staring disbelieving at the talking corpse in front of her. And then the blood that had stained her clothes melted away and flowed back into Kanuono's body.

The vital liquid that had pooled around him was slowly sucked back up. The pale pallor of his face vanished. He was tanned and healthy again, his lips no longer blue. Meiko couldn't make out if he were more or less beautiful than before.  
He attempted to sit up, but then looked down and cursed, noticing he was still half. "Fetch the rest of me, would you?" he asked.

Meiko blinked furiously a second before she giggled excitedly. "Hai, hai!" She ran and picked up the other side of his body, dragging it over. Kanuono winced but as she lined up the rest of his body against him, it merged as one. He was whole again. Alive and whole again.

Kanuono sat up, putting a hand to his head. "Remind me never to let him win again," he growled, his eyes shining black.  
The blonde youkai narrowed her eyes. "You _let _him do this to you? You _let _me worry about you? I thought you were dead! I read his thoughts – I knew he was gonna kill you, but I didn't think he had that much fight left in him!"

Kanuono waved a hand to calm her, running a hand through her hair. She was shocked at his touch, completely confused that he was reacting the way he did, but she let his fingers run through her hair, let his hand lay on her shoulder when he'd finished. She drank in his warm smile… even if it only lasted for one split-second.

"I told him a lot more information than I planned to, but I can take it in my stride." he stood up, his insane expression back on his face. Meiko groaned inwardly. "Kanuono…"  
"Now, now. There's fun to be had here. He seriously thinks I'm _in love _with Kagome and Kikyo. Yes, I made it slightly overdramatic but- Meiko?"

The miko standing before him had turned away, clenched her fists and bowed her head. "Yes, _master_?" she let the word curl off her tongue as if it were a swear word.  
Kanuono gulped taking a step backwards. "Meiko, you don't seriously believe–?"  
The girl turned and her face was so completely lost that Kanuono found himself hating her even more.

"You're using me! You nearly killed me a mere half-hour ago and you're acting like _this_? Running your hand through my hair, acting like it never happened – I am _not_ your puppet! You can't toy with someone's affections just like-!"  
He clamped a hand over her mouth, leaning in close and whispering 'shh' to calm her. The girl just narrowed her eyes further. "Get bent," she said, the sound muffled by his palm.

But Kanuono wasn't finished with her. He locked her to his side, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her so close that she could hardly breathe. He licked her cheek once, affectionately, but his face was still that of a madman. She was afraid of him. Kami, she loved him, yes, but she was terrified of him.

"I need you, my sweet." He told her, almost teasingly. "I sprung the good guy act on Inuyasha but now it's the final match. He will be dashing off towards Kikyo and Kagome. Meanwhile, they're both confused as to what is really going on. They think I hate you, and they think we're gonna kill _Kikyo_ – but it's not gonna happen like that."

Meiko stared for a moment, trying to let this information sink in before she jerked out of his arms. "You tricked me? You lied to me?"  
"On the contrary, I'm telling you the truth now. I just did that to you earlier to get an honest reaction out of you – one they would believe. Inuyasha thinks I'm dead. He doesn't know Kikyo is in that cave with Kagome. But pretty soon they will inform him, or Kagome will, that Kikyo is about to be corrupted."

"… And then he protects Kikyo," Meiko nodded slowly, understanding. "When we're going after _Kagome."_  
Kanuono's smile was huge, maniacal. "Exactly," he grinned, kissing her suddenly on the cheek. "We kill Kagome and Inuyasha's guilt – his _fear_ –"  
"His _love_," Meiko cut in, grinning back up at him.  
"… Is ours for the rest of our days. He didn't protect her. Was he not worthy of her? Was he never meant to have her?"

"Did he not love her? Did she not love him?" Meiko finished. "He'll always be reminded of it, always the fear and love and hurt will come back to him. And we're really set up for life."  
Kanuono laughed. "You didn't think I'd let there be a happy ending, did you?" he jeered, taking hold of her hand and beginning to lead her away through the forest.

Meiko followed him, a silly smile on her face. But then she turned cold. _Inuyasha wouldn't kill himself if we did such a thing…would he? _She continued to walk but suddenly the world seemed to be suspended. She was questioning herself. And she hated it.

_If we do this… What if he misses her so much, he follows her? Kanuono and I would die then. _She looked up at the dark-haired youkai dragging her through the trees, his expression determined. She didn't want him to die. She squeezed his fingers tightly, her eyes full of worry. He couldn't die… she loved him too much. Without him, her life was over. She couldn't live without him.

_And if _I_ feel like that, how would Inuyasha feel if Kagome were taken from him?_

Meiko felt as if she were falling through a void, with nothing above nor beneath her. She was simply falling.  
Questioning this plan of Kanuono's was questioning her love for him. If she let Inuyasha and Kagome live – their love could keep her going for all eternity. And Kanuono could play with them all he wanted, keeping _himself_ alive.  
If he killed Kagome, he would, in affect, kill Inuyasha. And then _they'd_ die in turn.

So if she let the two go…  
Meiko glanced up at Kanuono, who had a vicious smile on his face.  
No, she couldn't let them go. Kanuono would never let her. He'd kill her first. _Or I'd have to kill him. _Her mind whispered. She clenched her free hand, slamming her eyes shut as the forest dissolved around her. No! The reason she was even thinking of this was to save the both of them so they could live for all eternity forever. She loved him, she couldn't kill him! She _wouldn't_!

She opened her eyes slowly, and found he was glancing at her. Kanuono's expression was malicious and bloodthirsty, as if he even craved _her_ to die. "Meiko…" he said. "When this is over, I promise you that you and I are gonna have a happy ending of our own."  
But remembering what he had said earlier about no happy endings, Meiko couldn't be sure.


	11. Chapter 11

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

Yummy! I loved writing the previous chapter! It was a yummy chapter! Or at least I think so, do you? I think my favourite chapter so far is probably number six. _If_ that's the one I'm thinking of. Where Inuyasha and Kagome are sparring, heh.

Yes, you are now officially allowed to hate Kanuono – if you didn't hate him before, that is. He was such a sweety pie on his deathbed, but yes, it was a façade. You didn't _really_ think I'd change his personality so much, did you? 'Awww bless, he's so nice.' Yeah right. Kanuono, nice? Keh!  
And if you're wondering, yes, he really does love Meiko. He has some affection and admiration for Kagome, but doesn't love her. And he definitely hates Kikyo. I'll clear it up later.

I, uh, hope I'm leaving you guessing. I think. And if there is anything you don't understand, I'm sure it may be cleared up. Unless I've tried to explain it as well as I can previously, and you still don't understand. In that case… uh… I advise you to read again? Hopefully? I am afraid now, heh.  
Kya! Chapter eleven!

PS: OMFG, the ruler is _still_ not working!

&&&

**Chapter Eleven  
**How My Blood Curdles

Inuyasha came to a stop at the entrance to a cave. He had to duck to get in, and in the distance he could see the light of torches and some unknown glow that seemed to be coming from some kind of barrier. Monotonous drips of water from the ceiling echoed around him and he winced as he made his way further into the darkness. If he could just reach the light…

Kagome's smell was suffocating in here. Yet so was another's. Another familiar scent intoxicated the air. _Kikyo.  
_"Kagome…?" Inuyasha called. He noticed that there was no reverberation of his voice, yet as he stepped, his footsteps echoed. He wondered absently why, why was such a thing possible unless he hadn't called loudly enough. "Kagome!"

He heard a gasp and someone shouting his name – the very girl he was looking for. And then he was running. He pushed Kikyo's scent to the back of his mind and focused on getting to Kagome. He didn't realise there was a huge grin on his face as soon as she came into view. She looked frightened, of course, but she was still in one piece. And she was smiling, relieved.

She'd forgiven him. Forgiven him for taking unknowing advantage of her earlier. And she was reaching out her hands towards him. Hands connected to arms that were bound to one wall of the cave.

The torches hung in rungs a few feet away from her, but Inuyasha paid them no attention as he ran over, checking that she was all right and smiling at her before trying to work out how to remove the holding spell that was on her. Everything was going to be all right. Kanuono was dead and Meiko… well, even if she was Kagome's dark side – Kagome didn't have much lurking inside of her that would make her _evil. _The girl was probably a pushover.

Plus, she was born from their love. Surely she wouldn't harm them.  
"'You okay?" Inuyasha asked, staring up at Kagome. He felt – and yes, he hated the analogy – like a dog whose master had returned to him. He was filled with unexplainable feelings, words he didn't know how to get out.

He'd thought she'd never forgive him, never want to speak to him ever again. Yet here she was and she was _smiling_ at him, tears in her eyes. And she was trying to reach for him, and he so wanted to hold her but…  
There was a sound behind him that was either a cough or a slow intake of breath. Either way, whoever it was behind him was trying to catch his attention.

_Is this Meiko? _He thought immediately, but when he turned, he saw somebody else was bound to the opposite wall. For a minute he was confused as to who the person was – she looked like Kagome, but didn't at the same time. She was too old, too pale, and dressed in miko clothes. She _couldn't_ be Kagome…

Inuyasha fell back to reality with a crash. _Kikyo… _

She's seen him fussing over Kagome. Seen his barely suppressed relief at finding her alive and well. And how was he reacting to seeing _her_ alive and well? 'Oh, hey, Kikyo. Nice seeing you again. Sorry I can't get you off the wall at the moment, I think I'm going to kiss Kagome now. So, uh, if you would please turn away…'

Inuyasha made his way over, his steps slow. His enthusiasm was gone and inside he was hollow. "Kikyo…" he said softly, a thrum in his voice.  
The miko stared a moment before smiling weakly. "Inuyasha," she replied, brown eyes boring into his.

The hanyou opened his mouth, thinking of what to say. 'Sorry, Kagome. I'll be right back. I just want to kiss Kikyo now, so if you could turn away too then that would be great…'

The voice in his head wasn't his. It was Kanuono's. He fell backwards, crashing to the floor in a fit of anger and desperation while he gasped for breath. Both Kikyo and Kagome were staring at him, one confused, and a little hurt, the other apparently distant and unaffected.

He shut his eyes, rubbing the back of his hand against them as if he could dispel any tiredness – and along with it, any ridiculous thoughts in his head. _Shit, I'm caught in the middle here… _He thought, slowly standing up.  
His back to the entrance of the cave, he looked to his left, where Kikyo was, and then to his right, where Kagome was. Both were now no longer looking at him but to the side, into the darkness.

_Why is Kikyo even here? _He wondered. _Unless this was another trick of Kanuono's, to add to my _fear  
"You look good," A voice said. He turned to see Kagome smiling limply. He made his way back over to her, hand reaching up to brush her hair out of her eyes.  
_She_ didn't look presumably insane either. The two of them were slipping back into the people they once were. Inuyasha smiled back. "You too,"

"Our guard left us." Kikyo put in behind him. He turned his head, but not his body, hand resting lightly on the wall beneath Kagome. "Let me guess. Meiko,"  
Kagome nodded above him. "We don't know why she ran off. We think it was because she found out who Kanuono is." Upon saying this, Kagome flinched but continued. "Or perhaps you could shed some light on that?"

"I killed him," Inuyasha said simply, hoping to see some sort of pride in her eyes. Kagome's eyes just widened in shock and surprise. There was no pride. Just disbelief and confusion.  
_Why the hell does her opinion matter anyway? What the hell is _wrong _with me? _He put a hand up to his head, swaying. Kanuono had done something to him. His emotions were running riot, he was acting like a lovesick puppy.

Kikyo sniffed. There wasn't even any pride in her eyes. Her disbelief overshadowed Kagome's. "I doubt he was so easy to kill."  
Inuyasha stared, from one girl to the other. Both girls looked as if they thought Kanuono was about to set foot in this cave any minute. The hanyou clenched his fists, punching the wall with the hand pressed against the stone.

Kagome gasped and even Kikyo looked up in shock. The two stared at the half-demon as he thumped the stone again and again and again. Then he stopped, and his hand was trembling. There were marks on his knuckles but no blood. He was stronger than that. "Kagome," he said, looking away. "Kanuono was me. He was like some kind of evil clone, as if he took my bad traits. And Meiko… Meiko is you,"

The schoolgirl's eyes widened, but the miko opposite her sniffed yet again. "That doesn't surprise me."  
She didn't say why it didn't surprise her, leaving Kagome with an aching feeling inside. She felt raw. She could only hope that Kikyo didn't gather this connection because Meiko hated her and she presumed Kagome did too. The girl crossed her fingers, before looking down at Inuyasha.

"Anything else?"  
"You're both safe." The silver-haired boy turned away from both of them, the fingers on one hand folding in triumphantly, while the other was clenched at his side. "So we can get the hell out of here."

"Inuyasha," Kikyo said emotionlessly. "If we're safe, we could walk out of here this instant. Yet Kagome and I are still bound to these walls. Meiko didn't cast this spell, it would have weakened when she was taken over, or would have disappeared completely when she left us. No, this is a strong spell, and it isn't Meiko's aura I sense. It's Kanuono's."

Kagome nodded. "Our bindings haven't weakened or loosened, Inuyasha. So Kanuono must still be alive."

Inuyasha whirled around. "I didn't _imagine_ him dying! His heart stopped beating – he stopped breathing, I was there! I split that bastard in two and now you're telling me he's alive?"  
"Maybe he's like Naraku," Kikyo said. "Perhaps he can piece his body back together. Who knows?"

"He. Is. Dead." Inuyasha spat, furious. "I thought at least that you two would believe me. Especially you, Kagome,"  
The girl tried to put on her best supporting face, trying to calm him without using any bodily gestures. "Maybe you have to kill Meiko to settle this, eh?" she smiled. But inside she felt… _odd_. Why did she feel connected to Meiko? Inuyasha had had no sympathy for Kanuono. He'd killed him. So why did she feel like Meiko didn't need to die?

Inuyasha turned to her, still angry, but his face had softened slightly. "I have to kill the witch?"  
"By all means do," Kikyo said unenthusiastically. "But there's only one way to get rid of both of them, Inuyasha."  
"Kikyo's right. So you couldn't have killed Kanuono. You can only kill them by targeting the source of their power."

Inuyasha was slow. He looked about in a daze, frustrated. "And? Point me in the right direction and I'll do it – anything to get rid of those creeps."  
Kikyo smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was a mixture between mocking and distantly sad. She pointed with one finger at Inuyasha, and then Kagome. "The source," she announced.

The hanyou stared. _What? _"Kikyo, what are you talking about? What's the source?"  
"To destroy Kanuono and Meiko, you must kill yourself. And Kagome."  
This time, Inuyasha simply gaped. He didn't want to believe, even though he knew immediately that it was true. Why had he been so stupid? Why had he not even thought about it? They were born from them – they would die from them.  
He cursed and bowed his head.

Kagome sighed. "That's… not all." She told him. "Kanuono gave Meiko an order – he possessed her sometime while talking to you, probably through some kind of telepathy. He ordered her to… to corrupt Kikyo."  
Inuyasha's head snapped up. "Corrupt her?"

He then turned to stare at the miko in question, realising he was talking as if she wasn't there. His face was concerned. "_Corrupt_ you?" he asked weakly, strength washing out of him. _That means…  
_"The Shikon no Tama will be defiled. And I will die."  
Inuyasha felt as if the world around him had collapsed, probably not for the first time these past few months. He struggled to hold onto reality and then he took a deep breath. "_If _Kanuono is alive." He told them, folding his arms.

"_Oh, but I assure you, Inuyasha. He is," _  
Kagome and Kikyo stared at him for a moment, as if _he_ had been the one speaking. Inuyasha was about to clamp a hand over his own mouth, when he realised that it wasn't his lips that had moved. And he was no ventriloquist.  
Slowly he turned, as did Kikyo and Kagome, and the three stared in the direction of the tunnel entrance. They could not see who was there, the path to the cave exit wound round a corner slightly and they could barely make out daylight. But shadows were cast against the mouth of the cave.

Inuyasha backed up, shaking his head in disbelief. _No… I killed him, I watched him die! _  
Footsteps were echoing down the tunnel, one after the other. Two sets of footsteps. _Meiko and Kanuono._  
Kagome slammed her eyes shut, Kikyo glared and Inuyasha shook his head from side to side.

_It's over, _Kagome thought, her heart racing. _It's all over.  
_Once she came to that conclusion, she found some kind of peace had been made inside of her, as if she was no longer afraid to die. If it were to be, she'd rather stare death in the face then shy away from it. She would prove she was strong – for once and for all.

Meiko was standing there. Except it wasn't the Meiko she remembered. The girl's eyes were still fuchsia pink and haunting, but her hair ran only down to her shoulders. And it was black. Her cheekbones were lower and less sharp, so she appeared less faerie-like. She was in her true form. Just as Kanuono, beside her, appeared so much more like Inuyasha than he ever had before. In that instant, Kagome saw herself in Meiko, and she knew why she did not want the girl to die.

Meiko's face was confused, as if she were coming to some horrible conclusion in her mind, one she didn't want to think of. She glanced at Kanuono, and her eyes were filled with tears. Those beautiful, yet terrifyingly familiar eyes. She bowed her head, and when she raised it again, her expression was set. Whatever she had decided on was there to stay. All doubts had been pushed to the back of her mind.

Kagome winced and looked to Kanuono. He, himself, was beautiful. _But not as beautiful as the real thing, _she thought absently, wishing she could hold Inuyasha's hand.  
Kanuono's arm was looped around Meiko's waist and the girl was turned away from him, resting her back against his side. He didn't appear to notice.  
Her expression was grim and determined.

Inuyasha, before he realised what he was doing, leapt in front of Kikyo. "You bastard…" he hissed, a growl entering his throat. _No one's going to corrupt her on my watch. _He thought, over-protectively.  
Kanuono laughed as he stepped forward, leaving Meiko to stand alone. "You can't stop me. You thought you could kill me, but you can't hold me off forever. Your life isn't something you value, but Kagome's is. Would you really kill _her_ to kill me?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, arms flung out by his side in case Kanuono would dive past him to get near Kikyo.  
_No, I wouldn't sacrifice Kagome. _He didn't need to say it out loud. It was as plain as day across his face.  
Kanuono laughed again. "Step aside, Inuyasha. This game is no fun otherwise."

Kagome glanced at Meiko, and noticed the girl was in some kind of stance. She was getting ready to dive to her right… yet to her right was… _Me, _Kagome realised, staring in confusion. _Why would Meiko want to dive at me? Unless she's planning to kill me too…?_

And then it all dawned on her. Inuyasha tensed up ready to fight off Kanuono's blows, Kikyo's expression softened as if she were soaking in her last moments, Kanuono was facing Inuyasha but his hand, out by his side, was glowing – filling with some kind of miasma. And it wasn't aimed at Kikyo, thought it would appear to be over where the three stood.

Kagome opened her mouth to scream a warning but it was too late. The ball of miasma flew through the air, and it was aiming at _her_. On target all the way.  
Inuyasha expected it to fly past him and stared in horror as he watched Kagome try and wiggle out of its path. It was no use.

The miasma exploded… and everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

**Plea of a Fading Soul**

Sorry I left you dangling, heh. So, what did ya think? Was the last one a good chappie or no? Sorry these past chapters have been short. And sorry the ending of the last chapter was painfully predictable, as some of you figured. But hey, I don't like character death. Okay, moving on. I know you all want me to shut up and get on with chapter twelve. The _last_ chapter. Mwahahaha! How will this turn out?

PS: Bleh! Stupid ruler!

&&&

**Chapter Twelve  
**Meiko's Heart

Kagome's eyes slowly flickered open. For a minute, all she could see was a dazzling white light, and she wondered momentarily if she were in heaven. But she couldn't be in heaven, because she could hear screaming. Surely nobody screamed in heaven. Someone was calling out her name, and they sounded so terribly afraid. It was almost as if they were screaming themselves to death. A male voice, one she recognised. It took her a minute to put a name to them, but then inwardly she smiled. _Inuyasha_.

Someone else was screaming too – calling out another name. Calling out 'Meiko' in fury and pain. _Meiko? Who's Meiko…?_ She thought, dazed. Then she glanced down and she saw that there was ash on her clothes. And she could smell burning flesh.  
Kagome gagged, bile rising in her throat. She wasn't in heaven. She was in a cave, and a girl with blonde hair was standing in front of her, clutching hold of a burning ball of miasma that had originally been aimed at Kagome's heart. _Wait, a _blonde_ girl? Didn't she have black hair a minute ago?_

The older girl had tears streaming down her face but she was smiling nastily. The miasma was burning her hand, and Kagome discovered that that was the source of the ash. Two of the girl's fingers had burned away completely. It looked like Meiko was struggling to hold onto the 'bullet' but she was so far succeeding in keeping it away from its target.  
_Oh, Meiko, why?_

Kagome glanced up. Kikyo was softly saying her name, her face completely blank except for wide eyes filling with tears. She wasn't imagining it. The miko was crying. Crying with regret that it was not her who had been attacked.  
And Inuyasha was darting across the cave, reaching out for Kagome. Kanuono didn't even notice, didn't care. He was glaring at Meiko, uncertain whether to be furious or upset.  
Because the orb was killing her. It was only a matter of time.

Meiko felt the electricity of the miasma infect her soul, the shouki running up through her veins and conquering her entire body. Her arm wavered and she fell to her knees, the miasma no longer directed at Kagome. If she let go now, it would strike the wall.  
Kikyo bowed her head, staring down at the floor as relief swept through her. But Inuyasha was still running, his face so deathly pale that Kagome thought _he_ was injured in some way. But no, he was still in one piece. On the outside. Inside he felt shattered like the Shikon no Tama. _Kagome… _  
He recalled the surge of energy he'd felt upon instinctively moving to protect Kikyo, and he hated himself for it. If it wasn't for Meiko, the odd girl before him, Kagome would be dead.

Kanuono completely ignored everyone else in the room for a minute – he was just staring at Meiko, uncertain of what to do. He wanted to kill her for her treachery. He wanted to disintegrate her into a million pieces. But then he wanted to hold her and tell her it was all right, that whatever it was that was wrong would pass.  
He raised his arm, spreading his fingers out wide as if to hurtle a second miasma bullet at her, but nothing came. He just reached out for her.

Meiko smiled, then – a genuine smile – and she reached back, blood staining her perfect lips. "K-K-Kanuo–" Her eyes widened before the miasma disappeared from her hand completely, shrinking to the size of a marble before it vanished. She pitched forward, a film clouding over her eyes. The shouki was in her body. She'd been completely defiled. And now she was just a rotting corpse on the floor.

Kanuono simply stared. He didn't move, he just kept staring at the dead girl. In the chaos she had morphed back to her blonde form, long golden locks spread out around her as if she were an angel. The burning smell did not subside. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, her lips curled into a smile.  
She didn't move. Didn't breathe or sit back up like Kanuono had earlier after pulling himself back together. Was she really… gone?

Sounds came back to him then. He and Meiko were not the only ones in the room and he looked up to see Inuyasha fumbling to get Kagome down from the wall. Kanuono turned numb inside. No, not numb. Hollow. Cold. Empty. Meiko was gone.  
Anger surged up inside of him. Rage made him blind to anything but the fact Meiko was dead. And they would pay.

He was behind Inuyasha in less than a second, gripping hold of the hanyou's hair and tugging so the boy fell to the ground with a roar of fury. Kagome let out a squeal, and Kikyo jerked forward, opening her mouth in defiance.  
Kanuono placed his foot on Inuyasha's exposed neck, his eyes wild. "You have two seconds before I _crush_ you, hanyou. Any last words?" he spat, trembling with rage.

Kagome shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Kikyo stared, lost for words.  
As Kanuono stared down at his own image, his expression didn't waver nor soften. He felt no remorse. He would kill him now; he would get it over with. He didn't care if this finished him, he had to kill the boy before–  
"I'm not afraid of you," Inuyasha smiled, speaking in a velvety, soft, purring tone, eyes narrowed to the point of slits.

Kanuono let out a growl, but the pressure on Inuyasha's neck didn't cease.  
The hanyou stared up at Shadow Man, uncaring. His eyes were almost daring Kanuono to stamp hard down on his neck. _Do it. Go on, do it! _"I'm not afraid of you," he said again. "You can do what you want to me and Kagome now. But I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Kanuono began to tremble, uncertain of what he should do. What was his line? To laugh insanely? His judgement had disappeared completely. He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing.  
Inuyasha was continuing in that soft tone that frightened the hell out of everyone who could hear it.

"Oh sure, I was afraid of you once. You were turning Kagome mad – anything that hurts her and drives her insane like you did… you really got to me. You got to both of us. But not anymore," he smiled, grinning from ear to ear.  
Kanuono jerked backwards but he still did not remove his foot. He felt hot all of a sudden, his palms sticky, sweat dripping down his face, eyes wide… and he felt as if he were going to throw up. The hairs on his arms and back of his neck were standing on end and he was flinching away from the hanyou on the floor.

_Is this what fear feels like? _He wondered, before glancing up at Kagome. The girl's expression was stern, defiant, and completely in tune with Inuyasha's. She, a girl he had tormented for so long, was causing terror to rise up inside of him.  
"So you see?" a sweet voice below him rang out. "You have no power over us anymore, Kanuono. All you are is a monster without a purpose."

"Because all children grow out of monsters sometime," Kagome put in, her own voice sweet as sugar. "And when that happens…"  
"_The monsters die,_" Inuyasha and Kagome said together, both smiling in a way that made Kanuono want to turn on his heel and run. He took a few stumbling steps backwards, and Inuyasha felt the weight removed from his throat. He sat up, laughing.

Kanuono retreated into the darkness and found his control was slipping. All of his power was ebbing away in one moment and in an instant, Kagome and Kikyo were no longer bound to the walls but on their own feet, Inuyasha helping both of them to stand.  
A silent scream escaped Kanuono's throat and he reached out for Meiko, dropping to the floor as his body began to dissolve around him.

Kagome leant against the wall and helped Kikyo along beside her, while Inuyasha turned to watch his enemy's demise, eyes dark and unforgiving.  
Kanuono made to retch but couldn't. His body was slowly disappearing behind him, turning to ash and disintegrating with every passing second. He tried to whisper Meiko's name, tried to say he was sorry, but it was no use.

In a few moments, all that was left was a pile of ash, and a hanyou staring at it with eyes of liquid gold.

&&&

Kagome adjusted the blanket over the figure's head, smiling brilliantly. "You can see now, right?" she said, hoping that it was so as she fell into time with the girl's strides.  
The figure nodded, holding a covered pot in one arm, the other held down at her side.  
Inuyasha, behind them, sniffed. "Why do we have to make such a big fuss of this…?" he groaned, putting a hand up to his head.

Kagome shot him a look that read 'shut up, you idiot!' but the girl beside her just laughed. "I figured you would say that," she said, her voice emotionless.  
The miko on the girl's left looked hurt for a minute, unsure of what to say, unsure of how her new friend was reacting to this, but she just sighed. "Don't listen to Inuyasha, he's a jerk."

"_Excuse me_?"  
Again Kagome heard that tinkling laughter and she smiled. "Sure you'll be alright?" she asked. The girl nodded back, manoeuvring the pot close to her side as she adjusted the blanket with her left hand. The right one was useless. It was covered in burns and was mutated beyond belief. She had no fingers on that hand anymore.  
But she was alive. That was all that mattered.

She came to a halt, suddenly, grinning. "Here." She announced, placing the pot on the floor of the hilltop.  
Inuyasha grunted and Kagome helped remove the blanket from around the girl's head. Blonde hair spilled onto the girl's shoulders and Meiko raised her head, eyes bright. Then she glanced down at the pot. "Ready?"

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha shrugged, turning away, gripping hold of Tessaiga absently.  
Meiko took a deep breath, eyes wet, and then removed the lid of the pot. A cloud of ash swirled up into the air like a mini-cyclone, arcing back and forth and dancing in the wind around them.

Meiko wavered and Kagome put an arm around the girl, pointing up at the sky. "He's saying goodbye," she told her, comforting her. Meiko nodded against the girl's arm, raising her eyes to the sky. They were filled with tears, but also… _hope_.

"He's free." She smiled. And in that moment, that was all she could think to say.

&&&

Kagome brushed her fingers through long silver hair, sighing as she watched Inuyasha sleep in front of her. He'd spent all the afternoon complaining about giving an enemy a funeral, but secretly Kagome knew he was just tired. She nudged him but he didn't wake up, he just turned his face to the other side.

She sat back on the balls of her feet, brushing dust off of her uniform. Then she remembered the other day. She remembered leaving the cave after discovering Meiko was still alive. Because of course, the only way to have killed Meiko and Kanuono was to destroy the source of their power. Inuyasha and Kagome's fear had died, yet their love had not. And Meiko had sat up, breathing again. Disfigured slightly, yes, but still alive.

Kikyo had walked away, like she normally did. Tight-lipped without so much as a thank you. Kagome had almost forgotten she had seen the girl's tears. Inuyasha hadn't even attempted to go after her. Sure, he had watched her go, but he'd latched onto Kagome and hadn't left her side for the past two days. Touching, really.

Meiko had stayed in their company, treasuring Kanuono's ashes before setting them free upon the hilltop that morning. And now she was gone – doing whatever it was she said she was destined to do. She'd possibly become a village's miko now, but Kagome wasn't sure.  
And now Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara were returning, relieved to hear Inuyasha and Kagome were no longer 'mad' and were their old selves again.

It was double for Inuyasha. He was still as stubborn as before. Kagome tapped him on the head before Kaede stepped into the hut, grinning. "I'm glad ye are safe," she said for the third time since they had returned, bringing in some kindling to start a fire. The girl sat on the floor nodded up at her, grateful. "You too, Kaede."  
"I was uncertain of what had become of you two after that incident with the fog, but to see ye back live and well is fine with me." She began setting up the hearth, and Kagome decided to save the old miko time and retrieved the lighter she kept handy in her huge yellow bag.

The kindling and leaves lit with the help of the small flame and Kaede sat back, smiling.  
Kagome did the same but stared at Inuyasha, noticing how softly he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful. So calm and untouchable. She brushed his hair out of his face, inspecting him so thoroughly that she was sure his face was etched into her brain in minute detail.

"Kagome, ye should rest." Kaede told her, warming her hands beside the fire.  
Kagome nodded, yawning and laid down beside Inuyasha, tucking her body close to his. She hoped she wouldn't wake him and rested her head against her bag, glad to find that the top part was cushioned with the pillow she often carried around.

Her eyes slowly flickered shut. Kaede smiled as she noticed Kagome's breathing deepen. The girl had fallen to sleep. She turned away, grinning.  
"Ye can stop pretending now,"

"Shit." Inuyasha whispered, eyes opening as he began to sit up. "I think she tangled up my hair," He ran one hand through it now, frowning.  
Kaede chuckled and stood up. "I've started you a fire. Make sure it does not burn out of control." She made her way out of the hut then, lifting up the flap before going to do an errand somewhere in the village.  
Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever,"

He looked down at Kagome, staring at her features and running a finger along her cheek before outlining her lips. Then he pulled away, groaning and raising a hand to his head. He felt really dizzy and disorientated. Maybe he should lie down…  
The hanyou fell back down to the floor with a soft thud, staring at Kagome as he wove his body next to hers so they fit like two pieces of a puzzle. Like Yin and Yang.

It was over. The bad guys were gone and it was really over… Inuyasha smiled, content.  
"'Night, Kagome." He whispered, shutting his eyes.  
He hoped he didn't imagine it when she softly whispered 'goodnight' back in her sleep. And he hoped, with all his heart, that nightmares wouldn't interrupt her dreams anymore. And the monsters were really gone for good.

&&&

Ack. Yes. Over. I'm going to be evil and do what I did with _Flat Line_, but… rate meh? Out of ten? I think I loved writing this, actually. I'm going to miss it now it's gone. But yes, Plea of a Fading Soul has now, well, faded. I think the chapters got better and better as they went through and I'm glad everything fit together snugly.  
Still, it was possibly a predictable ending. My bad.  
But it was fluffeh! Okay. My rants are over now. So is the story. I am sorry to break your hearts out here.  
I hoped you all liked Meiko in the end. She was really quite nice after all, heh.

Okay. Thank you for staying with me, reviewing and favouriting this, guys. I love you all eternally and this chapter was dedicated to you! Now, who wants to stay put for some more fics, eh? New ones coming up soon… I guess.  
You know this has been my longest running fic to date? Soul Stealer was only nine chapters long. I promise to make some other later ones longer. If you really don't mind my long fics.  
So. This is the end. Sniffles. Goodbye all, for this fic at least!  
The only think I can think to say is: KEH!  
Hee hee! Hannah out.


End file.
